The Baby
by TheAmazingFireshadow
Summary: Chat Noir leaves a present on Marinette's balcony in the middle of the night with a very vague note. Chaos ensues from that point forward, involving babies, bitches, bullies, broken hearts, broken promises, a few villains (here and there), and a possible reveal. I guess you'll have to wait and see :) Rated T for strong language.
1. Chapter 1

**Day 23**

Marinette awoke to a piercing cry in the middle of the night.

"Hm?" She rolled over waking Tikki, who was sleeping on her nightstand. Marinette looked at the clock. "2:30." She groaned.

"What's wrong, Marinette?"

"Didn't you hear that?"

"Hear what?" Tikki hadn't heard anything.

"Oh, I guess I was just imagining things, Tikki. It sounded like a baby crying." She ducked back under the covers, but before she could go back to sleep, she heard the crying again.

"I definitely heard that." Tikki said. "It sounds like it's coming from the roof. Maybe you should go check it out." Marinette nodded and climbed onto her balcony. She shivered against the cold February air and looked around.

"Look, Tikki!" She pointed to her chair.

"A...baby?"

"Hey, there's a note." Marinette picked up the note and read it, knowing immediately who it was from.

'Hey Purrincess,

Sorry _fur_ the rude awakening, but I need a huge favor. I saved a girl today. She's only 16 and the baby in your chair belongs to her. She can't afford to take care of it, and neither can I, so I was hoping you could until we find her some foster parents. The baby's name is Emma, by the way. It should only take about a week if all goes well. I'll drop by tomorrow to see if you need anything, but I'm _pawsitive_ you can handle it. Thanks _fur_ saving my tail!'

"It's from Chat Noir."

"But it isn't signed, Marinette. How can you be sure?"

"Oh, Tikki. There are four reasons. First of all, he used like, half a dozen cat puns. Second, he called me Purrincess, and no one else does, and third, he signed it with a green paw print." Tikki looked at Marinette, confused.

"That's only three reasons. You said there were four."

"Oh. Fourth, Chat Noir is the only one that I know who's crazy enough to leave a baby on my balcony at 2:30 in the morning." Marinette gently picked up Emma, who was cold to the touch from sitting outside, and she brought her downstairs.

"Are you going to keep her, Marinette?" Tikki asked.

"Well, it's the least I can do. Besides, it's only for a week, and it can't be that hard to take care of a baby, can it? I'll go shopping tomorrow after school and get some things for her. It might actually be fun! You'll see, Tikki. I can handle it."

Tikki sighed as she watched Marinette set up a temporary bed for Emma, knowing that it _was_ very hard to take care of a baby, but she figured she would let Marinette figure that out herself.

Emma had slept for most of the rest of the night, and by the time she woke up crying, it was about time for Marinette to get up for school anyway. She turned off her alarm and dragged herself out of bed, cringing in discomfort when her bare feet touched the cold floor.

"Mornin' Tikki."

"Good morning, Marinette." The Kwami was nervous for Marinette to find out just how hard it was to take care of a baby along with doing her homework, designing, and going to school. "By the way, who's going to take care of Emma during the day?"

"Well, I figured my parents could. We have a back room that they could put her in while they ran the bakery, and when they have some downtime, they can feed her or change her or whatever."

"But, Marinette…"

"What is it, Tikki?" Marinette didn't realize the most important thing that she was missing.

"You haven't told your parents about her yet." Marinette's face went from excited to terrified. Her eyes grew wide.

"Oh, Tikki, this is a disaster! Papa will never let me have a baby in the house! What am I going to do? Oh, Tikki, help me!"

Tikki sighed. "Marinette, why don't you just go down and talk to them? Explain all about Emma and they'll let you keep her. I'm sure of it."

"But Tikki, they don't know that Chat Noir visits me sometimes. Besides, Papa is still upset with him about what happened the day he got Akumatized into Weredad."

"Trust your instincts, Marinette. Do you really think you can keep a baby a secret for a week?"

"Well," Marinette sighed. "I guess not."

"But Papa, I can't bring a baby to school!" From Marinette's room, Tikki could hear her chosen arguing with her dad.

"Well, we can't take care of her here during the day. Your mother and I have a bakery to run! You have a choice to make, Marinette. Either you take the baby to school or you just tell Chat Noir that you can't keep a baby and tell him to find someone else."

"Papa, there is no one else. That's why Chat Noir brought her here. Besides, I can't do that to him."

"Then I'd advise you to go to school early and talk to your teachers."

Marinette sighed and walked up the stairs to her room to get Emma, figuring that her teachers wouldn't yell as much if she brought the baby along.

"Well," She said to herself. "What's the worst that can happen?"

"Um… they'll say you can't have a baby at school and you'll either have to stay home from school for the next week or wait until Chat Noir comes by and give Emma back to him." Tikki offered.

Marinette groaned. "I might as well get going. Either way, it's going to be a very long day."

"Who should I start with, Tikki?" Marinette was standing on the steps right outside of Collège François Dupont with Emma in her arms.

"Who do you think will be the hardest to talk to?"

"Um… probably Mssr. Damocles."

"Then talk to him first! It'll only get easier from there."

"Okay…" Marinette walked up to Mssr. Damocles' office and tentatively knocked on his door. "Mssr. Damocles, sir? May I come in?"

"Yes, yes, come in." Marinette carefully pushed open the solid wood door and stepped inside. "Well, Mlle. Dupain-Cheng, why so early? And with a baby? School doesn't start for another half hour, you know."

"Uh, yeah, I know. But I was hoping to talk to you. About her." She gestured to the bundle in her arms.

Mssr. Damocles raised an eyebrow. "Please, sit down." He waited for her to get comfortable. "So what was it that you wanted to talk to me about?"

Marinette explained the whole thing, although she left out Chat Noir's name and said that it was a favor for a friend.

"Well, Marinette, you do realize that this is highly unusual, and very much against regulations as well, don't you?"

"Yes, sir, I do."

Mssr. Damocles sighed. "I will let you keep the baby here for the week, but there are a few things we must discuss. First, you must talk to all of the rest of your teachers and get their approval. If you manage that, you must ensure that the child stays relatively quiet during the day. If she doesn't, you must either take her home with you or leave her in the nurse's office until the end of the day. Also, if she is too much of a distraction for your fellow classmates, she goes, and you go too. Understood?"

"Yes, Mssr. Damocles. Thank you so much, sir!" Marinette stood up and practically ran out of the office.

When Marinette was out of sight, Tikki flew out of her purse. "Who's next?"

"Mme. Mendeleiev, for sure. She'll be the next hardest person to convince."

Five teachers and twenty minutes later, Marinette had gotten the green light to keep Emma for the next week under various rules. She had to keep Emma quiet, she must still do all her work and participate in class, etc. Mme. Mendeleiev had said that Emma wasn't allowed to be part of any lab experiments.

Mme. Bustier, of course, had welcomed Emma with open arms and thought that it would be fun to have a baby in class. Marinette's home ec teacher even said that Emma would be 'educational' to have around during some lessons.

"Well, that wasn't so hard, was it, Marinette?"

"I guess not."

Tikki giggled. "It was funny when Mme. Mendeleiev asked you if Emma was your baby."

Marinette groaned. "That was embarrassing. She was serious, too! And I'm only fifteen! I'm in the tenth grade, for crying out loud." She yawned. "Well, I'd better get to class."

"Marinette."

"What?"

"You didn't bring your school bag, remember?" Marinette's content face tensed into one of shock.

"Oh, Tikki, I'm going to be late again! And after all that!" Tikki sighed. She wasn't sure her already absent-minded chosen would survive a week with a baby, but miracles do happen.

Out of breath, Marinette sprinted back up the stairs carefully, remembering that she was holding a baby. In true form, she made it through the door with seconds to spare, and felt all eyes on her as she entered the classroom.

"Everyone, calm down please." Mme. Bustier clapped to show everyone that it was time to start class. "Marinette, will you come up here for a moment and explain to the class why you have a baby?"

"Huh? O-okay." Marinette stumbled her way up to the front of the room. "Well, I-I'm doing it as a gift to a friend - I mean, a favor to a friend. She's getting foster parents soon, but I have her until then."

"Who's this 'friend' of yours?" Alya asked.

"Um… I'll tell you later."

"Why can't you tell us now?" Kim demanded.

Marinette sighed. "Trust me. You wouldn't believe me if I told you."

"Just tell us, girl. We'd believe you. At least, I would." Alya continued her interrogation, and Marinette knew she wouldn't stop until the got an answer.

"Okay, okay. I'm doing it for Chat Noir."

"You're right, girl. Even I don't believe that."

"Ugh. Okay. I'll try to get him to come in tomorrow so I can prove it."

"Are you and Chat Noir dating then?" Alix asked.

"Uh… no?" Marinette shook her head. There was no way she'd date Chat Noir.

"Okay, Marinette. You may sit down. We're going to start our lesson now. You all can ask Marinette questions later. Now is not the time." Marinette had to say, she was grateful that Mme. Bustier intervened, or she would never have finished answering questions from her information-hungry classmates. She was already worn out, but she knew if she kept a positive attitude, everything would work out. _Maybe it won't be so bad,_ she thought.

By the end of the day, Marinette was exhausted. Luckily, Emma had only started crying once, but it felt like she was never going to stop. It was a bit awkward having to excuse herself in the middle of physics, but she took Emma into the girls' bathroom and sat with her until she stopped crying.

At lunchtime, Marinette went home to feed herself and Emma. She was half tempted to skip the rest of the day and get her lessons from Alya later, but she knew that wouldn't fly with her parents, so she decided to go back to school.

Instead of heading home when classes were over, Marinette went shopping. After about an hour, she had a couple of outfits, some baby toys, a whole lot of diapers, and some formula. Shopping was probably the easiest part of the day, minus the strange looks she got from the other shoppers.

Marinette went back home, ate dinner, and went straight to bed after a lesson from her mom on how to change a diaper. It wasn't fun. Marinette thanked her lucky stars that she only had to take care of Emma for a week.

"Six more days, Tikki," She said as she began to doze off. "Six more days." Or so she thought.


	2. Chapter 2

**Day 22**

"I'm going to kill that cat." Marinette muttered to herself as Emma started crying for the third time that night.

Tikki was also awakened by the crying and heard Marinette mumbling. "Oh, come on, Marinette. It's not that bad, is it?"

"Oh, I don't know. I have school tomorrow though and I'm going to be running on what - two, maybe three hours of sleep?"

"That reminds me. Did you ever do your homework?"

"Of course I - well, at least I think I - did I? Um… I don't remember, Tikki."

The Kwami sighed and shook her head at her chosen. "Marinette, why don't you go check? That way you'd know for sure."

"Right. Yeah." Marinette swore under her breath as she stubbed her toe going down the stairs and reappeared a moment later with a panicked expression on her face.

"Ahh, Tikki, help me!" She scream-whispered at her Kwami so as not to wake her parents or disturb Emma.

"You didn't do it, did you?"

Marinette hung her head. "N-no. I didn't."

"Well, you should get started then. School starts in just a few hours."

Marinette checked her phone and groaned. "It's already almost 5:00."

One research project, an hour and a half of other homework, and two crying fits later, Marinette was finally getting ready to go back to bed.

"Ah, finally. Now I can get at least a little bit of sleep." Tikki looked at Marinette's clock and considered telling her that she only had about twenty minute to sleep, but she thought better of it and let her chosen rest for a little while.

~~~~~ Twenty Minutes Later ~~~~~

"Rise and shine, everyone! It's a brand new day!" The voice from Marinette's alarm clock startled everyone in the room. Tikki was the first to wake up, followed by Emma, whose crying served as a rude awakening for Marinette.

"Ughnnnn." Marinette mumbled, her voice muffled by the pillow over her face. As she began dragging herself out of bed, there was a knock on the trapdoor to her roof. She looked up with bleary eyes to see an all-too-familiar cat with a nervous smile. Sighing, Marinette opened the trapdoor and signaled for him to come in before turning her attention back to Emma, who was still crying.

"Morning, Princess." Chat Noir greeted her cheerfully, receiving a glare from Marinette. "Um… I just stopped by to see if you needed anything."

"Was this your idea?"

"Hm?"

"The baby. Was it your idea to give it to me?"

Chat chuckled. "Ha, well, yeah it was. I figured - well, you're good with kids, so-"

"Where did you get the idea that I was good with kids?"

"Huh? Oh, well I saw you with that girl that you babysit one day at the park when I was - um, I was - patrolling. Yeah, patrolling! And you seemed to be handling her pretty well, so I figured you were good with kids."

Marinette arched an eyebrow at his half-hearted explanation. "Don't think for a minute that you're going to get away with this. If you don't stop by a few times over the course of this week, then you're going to wish you never gave me this baby in the first place. Trust. Me."

"Um… okay?"

"Good." Marinette shoved Emma into Chat Noir's arms. " I have to get ready. Have fun!" Chat Noir stood awkwardly for a few moments while Marinette prepared for school. He was just praying that Emma wouldn't decide to start crying, or spit up, or whatever babies did. He wasn't totally sure.

"Hey, Marinette? I have to go, if that's okay. I have school too, and my - um - dad won't be happy if I'm late."

She responded from the other room. "Just set her on the bed. I'll see you later, minou!" She held her breath for a moment hoping Chat Noir wouldn't catch on. She had accidentally called him by a pet nam she only used as Ladybug.

Luckily, he wasn't at all fazed. "Okay. I'll stop by tonight if you want me to." He set Emma down onto the chaise opposite Marinette's bed on the other side of the room.

Marinette walked in and put a hand on his shoulder. "Thank you."

"Oh, no problem." He nervously rubbed the back of his neck with his hand.

"No, seriously. Thank you. I'm glad you care enough to not just abandon me for a week." She giggled a little and Chat Noir felt his blood rising to his cheeks.

"Um… yeah! Well, see you later, then? Yeah. Okay… bye!" He climbed back up onto her balcony and left for his house, all the while trying to figure out why he felt weird around Marinette all of a sudden.

Marinette, however, was more worried about school. One day of interrogations had been plenty for her, but a couple students in her class had been absent, and no doubt they were going to wonder.

"Oh, snap!" Marinette exclaimed, startling Tikki.

"What is it, Marinette?"

"I said I would try to get Chat Noir to come to school today. If I don't, no one will believe me!" She walked out to her balcony, trying to see if she could spot him in the distance, but alas, he was nowhere to be found.

"Simmer down, Marinette. It's not that big a deal. He said he would stop by later, anyway, and you can ask him to come to school with you tomorrow. Then everything will be okay, right?" She looked expectantly at her chosen who bit her lip.

"Yeah, okay." By now, Emma had stopped crying, so Marinette picked her up and went downstairs to the bakery.

"Marinette, I don't know if this whole baby thing is the best idea." Marinette's father stopped her before she could walk out the door.

"Tell me about it, Papa."

"Your mother and I barely got any sleep last night, and I can only imagine how little you got. It's not healthy to try to function like that, Marinette."

"I know, Papa. But it's only for a week and it's for Emma, not for me."

Tom Dupain sighed in resignation. "Alright, sweetie. As long as you're okay with it, I'm okay with it. Now get some breakfast."

"But what about Emma?"

"I'll take her!" Sabine cut in, walking towards the other two. "Her formula is all ready, so you go ahead and eat breakfast while I feed Emma."

"Are you sure, Maman?"

"Positive. Get something to eat, now. You can't go to school on an empty stomach!"

~~~~~ Later ~~~~~

Thirty minutes later, Marinette was on her way to school with Emma in her arms. She walked up the steps of Collegè François Dupont, met halfway by Alya.

"Hey, girl! How's it going with the baby?"

"Um, it's okay, I guess."

"I thought you said you were bringing Chat Noir today to prove that he was involved."

"Oh, yeah, he couldn't make it, but he's going to come tomorrow, for sure." Marinette said, hoping for her sake and Alya's that he would be able to come tomorrow.

Alya inhaled. "Girl, that's not good. I so wished he would come today."

Marinette laughed. "Yeah, you'll have to get your interview some other time."

"No, no. That's not what I meant at all." She lowered her voice to a whisper. "You see, Chloè started this rumor-"

"She didn't." Marinette's face paled, knowing just how horrible Chloè could be.

"I'm afraid she did."

"What is it this time?"

"She's been convincing everyone that the baby is yours." Alya winced, bracing herself for Marinette to blow her top.

"Ugh! That-that-that awful-"

Alya put a reassuring hand on Marinette's back. "Hey, calm down. It's not that bad. Besides, Chat Noir can clear it all up when he comes tomorrow."

Marinette groaned. "Somehow, I think that might make it worse."

"Huh? Why?"

"Well, what's stopping Chloè from telling everyone tomorrow that I had the baby _with_ Chat Noir? She would be the person to stoop that low. I just know it."

Alya sighed. "You know, you're right. But as long as you and I know that's not true, it's fine. Besides, any idiot can tell that you weren't pregnant. You're still skinny as a twig and you have been for years."

Marinette giggled, but she didn't really feel any better. She had a feeling in the pit of her stomach that this whole thing was going to blow up in her face by the end of the week. And she was definitely right about that.


	3. Chapter 3

**Day 22 - Part 2**

Marinette walked into Mme. Bustier's room, trying desperately to ignore the stares and whispers coming from her classmates. But no matter how hard she tried, she could feel her hate and anger towards Chloè bubbling to the surface. The hand that wasn't cradling Emma balled into a fist when the blond Bourgeois flounced into the room, sending a smug look Marinette's way.

Alya glanced nervously at her friend's expression. "Uh... why don't we sit down?" She said a little bit too loud.

Marinette gave Chloè one last glare before sitting down and turning her attention to Alya.

"Just ignore her, girl. Don't give them the time of day." Marinette smirked, remembering similar advice given to her by Tikki, also in reference to Chloè.

Mme. Bustier, however, picked the worst day to be late for class, leaving no one in charge because she was stuck in traffic. Of course, it was the same day that all hell broke loose in her classroom.

"Oh, look, Sabrina. It's our newest teen mom! You don't have to tell us who the father is. We already know it's Chat Noir. For a cat, I didn't know he could be such a wolf. Although, he does seem to be bad luck."

Adrien's breath caught in his throat as he realized exactly the position Marinette was in. He turned around slowly, taking in Marinette's dejected face. Rather than standing up for herself, she simply chose to sit there and take it. She swallowed hard and stood up, excusing herself from the classroom. She walked out slowly, Chloè's words stabbing her like a knife. "Don't let the door hit you on the way out!"

Marinette walked down the hall and into the bathroom with no particular goal in mind. She took a deep breath in a futile attempt to control her emotions, a single tear rolling down her porcelain cheek as she slumped to the floor.

"It's okay, Marinette. Chloè is just one of those people. She's a life ruiner." Marinette glanced up to see Alya sitting next to her, knees tucked in to her chest.

Marinette opened her mouth to say something, but she didn't want to risk letting all her emotions break free, so she just nodded and mumbled the affirmative. Emma rolled around in Marinette's arms, waking up from her nap, and let out a little whimper, staring up at Marinette with her big blue eyes.

Marinette let a small smile escape her lips as she looked at the innocence of the baby in her arms. "Just don't grow up to be like Chloè, okay?" She whispered, planting a kiss on Emma's forehead.

"Why don't you just chill here for a minute while I go see what's going on. If I don't see you in ten I'll come back to check on you, okay?"

Marinette nodded. "Thanks."

Alya walked back into the classroom to see Adrien standing next to Chloè at the front of the room.

"Was that really necessary, Chloè? Why can't you just be nice to people? I've told you time and time again, but you just don't seem to get the concept."

"But Adrikins-"

"No, Chloè. I'm done with the attitude. If you can't be nice, we can't be friends. It's settled."

"We pinky swore, remember? That we'd always be best friends forever and ever?"

"Chloè, that was before this. I always thought it was just a phase, but you never grew out of it. Why do you constantly feel the need to pick on people the way you do? Just back off and get used to the fact that you're not more important than everyone else." Chloè gasped and started to run out of the room crying, but she ran in to Mme. Bustier before she could get out.

"Chloè, please take your seat. I would like to start class now, and we're already running behind." Chloè huffed and sat down. "I'm sorry for my tardiness this morning, class. Did everyone complete last night's assignment?" There was a murmur as everyone took out the papers they were previously given.

"Now, then. I'll take attendance before I collect your packets." She took out a clipboard with the list of names and began reading them off. "Agreste, Adrien?"

"Present!"

"Bourgeois, Chloè?"

"Present." She grumbled.

"Bruel, Ivan?"

"Present."

"Cèsaire, Alya?"

"Here." She glanced at the door. Marinette hadn't come back yet.

"Couffaine, Juleka?"

"She's absent, ma'am." Rose spoke up, gesturing to the empty seat next to her.

Mme. Bustier smiled and nodded, making a mark next to Juleka's name on her attendance sheet. "Dupain-Cheng, Marinette?"

"She's in the restroom, ma'am. May I go and check on her?" Alya asked.

"Of course. But hurry back. I wouldn't want you to miss today's lesson." Alya nodded and practically ran out of the room as Mme. Bustier continued with roll call.

In the bathroom, Marinette was trying to calm down Emma, who had started crying. Again. "Oh, come on. Please?" Alya heard Marinette coaxing Emma to be quiet.

"Girl, we gotta get back to class."

"I can't go back with Chloè in there."

"Oh, you should have see it. Adrien totally stood up for you against Chloè!"

Marinette's face lit up and her cheeks flushed pink. "Really?"

"Yeah! He basically gave her an ultimatum. You know, be nice or we can't be friends. That sort of thing. Anyway, I'll tell you all about it later, but Mme. Bustier is getting ready to start class and we're going to be late if we don't hurry." Alya walked out with one last gesture to Marinette as if telling her to follow Alya.

"Um...okay." Marinette shifted her hold on Emma and walked through the corridor to Mme. Bustier's room, all eyes on her except a fuming Chloè and a nervous Sabrina.

"Welcome back, Marinette. If you'll take your seat, we can get started." She walked up the stairs to her seat carefully, so as not to disturb Emma. Adrien winked at her as she walked by and she felt blood rising to her cheeks. Ironically, it was the same feeling she got when Chat Noir winked at her, but she let it pass and didn't give it any more thought.

The rest of the day was pretty normal until lunch. Marinette didn't go home for lunch like she usually did because the patisserie was running a special, which meant extra business. Instead, she took a seat at her usual table with Alya and Nino, as Adrien went home every day for lunch regardless.

Kim and Max walked over to Marinette, who was bottle-feeding Emma. "So is it really yours?" Kim asked.

"I...um, no. No, it isn't." She stammered back at them.

"Are you certain, Marinette?" Max chipped in. Marinette felt like everyone was ganging up on her.

Alya sighed. "Sheesh, people. Has she looked anything more than skinny as a stick in the past nine months? You guys are blind if you think the baby's hers. Besides, she hasn't even-"

"Alya!" Marinette didn't know how her friend was going to finish that sentence, but it was likely something she didn't want to be public knowledge.

"Girl, I'm just saying. There are two reasons it's impossible for you to be pregnant. First, you-"

"Okay, never mind. You can tell me later, 'k?" Marinette looked at Alya, who rolled her eyes goodnaturedly and dropped the subject.

Rose ran up to Marinette, Juleka trailing behind her. "By the way Marinette, I think it's _so _cool that you're a mom!"

"Huh?" Marinette didn't know that the rumor had spread that far.

"Yeah, it's cool." Juleka mumbled as she walked by.

Mylénè was next. "Being a mother is a lot of responsibility, but I know that you can handle it! If you ever need a babysitter, I'm sure you can get me or one of the other girls to do it."

"God, people really are blind." Alya grumbled.

"I swear, if one more person mentions this baby being mine, I will-"

Chloè interrupted. "Sabrina, I never said it was a bad thing to be a teen mom. Some people just get screwed earlier than others." Chloè directed the last part of her conversation towards Marinette.

"Okay, that's it! I've had enough. Can't you see that this baby isn't mine? She doesn't even look like me! I think you need to check your facts. Emma here is eight days old. Eight days ago, it was Monday the 20th. And I was at school. Not at the hospital having a baby. Did any of you even consider that?" Marinette raised her voice and Emma started crying again. Marinette stormed out of the cafeteria and went into the locker room to quiet the crying baby.

Max looked contemplative. "Hmm… she does make a good point."

"Who started this whole thing about the baby being Marinette's anyway?" Alix asked. "I heard it from Rose."

"I heard it from Juleka." Rose pointed to Juleka, who was sitting next to her.

"Mylénè told me." Juleka muttered.

"Ivan told me."

"Kim told me." Ivan said.

"Max told me." Kim said. "I swear."

"Sabrina told me." Max countered.

"Well, Sabrina?" Alya asked. Sabrina looked at Chloè, who gave her a death glare. "Um...it was...well...Alya told me!" She blurted.

"Well, well. Looks like you can't trust anyone anymore." Chloè snarked, obviously pleased that the blame had gone elsewhere.

"Yeah, okay. But wasn't I the one who stood up for Marinette when everyone was spreading the rumor around? Wasn't I the one who said she couldn't possibly be pregnant for two very good reasons I won't mention? Besides…" She paused. "Chloè told me."

"Chloè started it?" Kim asked.

"That's a lie! I so did not!" Alya facepalmed and headed out to join Marinette in the locker room. She figured she would let Chloè try to get out of that one herself.

Alya casually walked over to where Marinette was sitting and perched next to her.

"How'd it go?" Marinette asked.

Alya shrugged and smirked, hearing Chloè shrieking her innocence from the cafeteria. "Karma's a bitch."

Marinette giggled. "At least that's over with."

"For now, girl. You never know."

Marinette sighed dejectedly. "Yeah, I know. I'll talk to Chat Noir tonight. Maybe with a little bit of luck he'll be able to take her off my hands sooner." She gestured to Emma, who had finally fallen back asleep.

"You'd better hope so."

~~~~~ That Night ~~~~~

"Come on. Please? Please go to sleep. It's late and I don't want you to wake up my parents." Marinette pleaded with the baby in her arms. Emma's crying was so loud that she barely heard the knock on her trapdoor. Marinette sighed. "Come on in."

Chat Noir peeked through the trapdoor and chose to walk down the ladder rather than jumping like he usually did. "Hey." He said. "Having fun?"

"You've got to be kidding me."

"I...I have some bad news."

"What is it?"

"The adoption process is going slower than we'd hoped. The parents are caught in some red tape and I have to ask you to keep Emma for a few more days."

Marinette struggled to keep her composure. "How-how many more?"

He shrugged. "Four, maybe five."

Marinette looked at him, trying to hold back her tears, a combination of anger, sadness, and stress, but it was too much. The dam burst. Chat Noir had to admit, he didn't know what to do. He'd never been in that situation before, but his heart went out to her. He gently lifted the still-crying Emma from her arms and set the baby down on the chaise.

He wrapped his arm around Marinette's shoulder as the two both sat perched on the edge of her bed. He wished he could take Emma now. Even better, he could go back in time and not have given her to Marinette at all. What was he thinking, giving a fifteen-year-old girl the responsibility of a baby? She had school and a social life. She didn't have time for a baby.

Marinette hugged him and cried into his shoulder. "I-it was a-awful today. A-at school." She said between hiccupy sobs.

"What happened?" Chat Noir brushed some hair out of her face, hoping she would let him know what was bothering her.

"Th-there's this g-girl. N-named Chloè. I-in my class. She...she told everyone th-that...that…"

"That what?"

"She said Emma was _my_ baby! She told the whole freaking class and everyone thinks I got pregnant! And you…" she trailed off, her voice lowering to a whisper.

"What about me?"

"She-she said you were the f-father."

Chat Noir's eyes widened and his face went pale. How dare she do that? And to Marinette, too. What does she even have against Marinette? "I'll come to school with you tomorrow and explain everything. How does that sound?"

Marinette sniffed. "O-okay." She let out a small smile. Chat Noir's heart broke at her weak smile and her vulnerability. _All of the drama must have happened at lunch, _he thought. _Why didn't I stay there? I could've stopped it._

Emma let out a small cry and Marinette sighed, standing up to take care of her.

"It's late." Marinette said. "You need to get some sleep."

Chat Noir smiled softly. "So do you."

She scoffed at him. "Yeah, like that's gonna happen."

"I'll come over tomorrow morning, Princess." He lightly grabbed her shoulders and planted a small kiss on her forehead. He looked down at her and the two stared at each other. It was only for a few seconds, but it felt like much longer.

Marinette snapped back to reality and began to blush profusely, causing Chat Noir to tear his eyes away from her as well. He uncomfortably laughed a little bit and rubbed the back of his neck with his hand. "I should go." He left in a daze, leaving Marinette in her room wondering what just happened.

"Yeah." She said, a few seconds after he had already left. "Bye." _What was that?_, she wondered. _Why do I feel so weird? _The kiss had made her momentarily forget the extra time she had to spend with Emma, but the crying jogged her memory. She groaned. _Maybe tomorrow will be better. I hope. _


	4. Chapter 4

**Day 21**

Something spooked Emma in the middle of the night, just when Marinette was having one of the best dreams of her life. She had finally mustered the courage to talk to Adrien and ask him out. Adrien had agreed, and the two were going over to Andre's for some ice cream.

They walked downtown to where he was, near the Place des Vosges, and they walked up to his cart. But instead of Andre's usual cheerful demeanor and accent, he started crying. Like a baby girl. And it was oh-so-familiar to Marinette, startling her out of her fantasy and back into her room, where there was a baby girl crying, and she didn't look the slightest bit like a middle-aged glacier.

"Emma," she groaned. "Go back to sleep." Emma didn't listen. Marinette pulled herself off her bed and over to her chaise. She turned on her phone and squinted at the bright light coming off of the screen. When her eyes adjusted, she saw the time: 1:42.

"Lovely. Just lovely." Marinette said, voice dripping with sarcasm. "Huh?" There was a knock on the trapdoor leading into her room from the apartment downstairs. She opened it to find her dad, dressed in his pajamas, standing on the stairs, not looking particularly happy.

"Marinette, this is why I didn't want you to keep Emma here. None of us are getting any sleep anymore. Especially you."

"I know, Papa. But I can't help it. I'm doing it as a favor, and I'm sure Chat Noir has a much busier schedule than any of us. You know, being a superhero and all." She lied, knowing full well that her superhero schedule was just as busy. She was just grateful that Hawk Moth seemed to be taking a break.

"Just try to keep her quiet. I'll have you know that I'm counting the hours until she goes." Tom Dupain whispered, loudly enough so Marinette could hear over the screaming.

"More hours than you think." She murmured.

"What?"

Marinette put on her best fake smile. "Nothing, Papa! Nothing at all. Now you go back to sleep and I'll try to keep Emma quiet. Sorry again for disturbing you." She gently nudged her dad back downstairs and closed the door, walking over to Emma. "Shh." She coaxed. "It's okay."

Luckily for Marinette, Emma only woke up once more during the night, a short time after 3:00, so Marinette got a better night's sleep than usual. She was awakened by the alarm she had set on her phone, and the fact that the alarm had been loud enough to once again disturb Emma's sleep.

She felt a gust of wind and shivered, noticing that the door to her balcony was partially opened, propped open by a potted plant that usually sat on the balcony railing. Under the plant was a note, no doubt from Chat Noir.

'Marinette -

I'll meet you at school.'

"O...kay? Great." Marinette sighed, returning the plant to the railing and putting the note on her desk. But she wasn't worried about Chat Noir showing up. He never lied to Ladybug, and certainly not Marinette.

Instead, she got dressed for school, packed her school bag with homework and another bag with baby supplies, ate a quick breakfast while her mother fed Emma, and left. Marinette camped out on the front steps, not wanting to go inside until she was sure Chat Noir was there too.

Fortunately, he was pretty early, and arrived only a few minutes after Marinette.

"Ready, Princess?" He smiled at her, nervously playing with the bell on his collar. Emma cooed at the shiny gold metal and reached out for it, giggling. Chat Noir allowed his smile to broaden considerably and held his arms out to Marinette. "May I?" He asked.

"Sure." Marinette said, gently handing Chat Noir the bundle in her arms. A few minutes later, both Emma and Chat were giggling. Marinette stood there, amused. The only thought running through her mind was, _He's going to be a great dad someday._ She shook it out of her head, though. _What am I thinking?_ But she couldn't help but watch with a big, goofy smile of her own.

The trio walked into Mme. Bustier's room, a few minutes to spare before the bell rang. They received a few oohs and aahs from the class. After all, it wasn't every day a superhero walked into your classroom. Marinette cast a nervous glance to Adrien's empty seat, noticing that everyone else was there.

"Hey." She whispered to Nino. "Where is he?" She gestured to the seat next to him.

"He's sick. Can't make it today." Nino responded, shrugging. Marinette was about to continue the discussion, but the bell rang and Mme. Bustier clapped her hands to quiet the students.

"Marinette, if you and Chat Noir would like to come to the front and explain the… situation. I'll be back, but I have a short meeting with Mssr. Damocles. Alya, as deputy, I'm trusting you to keep things from getting out of hand in here." Mme. Bustier smiled at the two of them. Chat Noir winked at Marinette, and she couldn't help but notice how familiar the wink was. _He winks at Ladybug all the time. Get it together, Marinette_.

"Hey." Chat Noir waved at the students, flashing his signature Cheshire cat grin. An uncomfortable moment of silence passed before Alya spoke up, recording on her cell phone.

"So, are you two dating?"

Marinette shot a death glare towards her best friend. "Alya!"

"Hey, it's not for me, it's for the Ladyblog. Chat Noir, why did you decide to give Marinette the baby?"

Chat rubbed the back of his neck with his hand, the other arm still holding Ema, another gesture that seemed too familiar to Marinette. "Well, she's one of the only civilians I know well enough to trust with a baby. She's responsible, kind, sweet, selfless, trustworthy, she knows how to balance many responsibilities at once. I mean, she's basically Ladybug without the costume." Marinette felt her cheeks getting redder at every compliment he gave her.

"So you know her pretty well, then?" Alya asked.

"I mean, not _that_ well, but-" Chat defended.

"It sounds like you two hang out a lot. Why Marinette? How did you two meet?"

"I…"

"Alya, why don't you lay off?" Marinette said, resting a hand on Chat Noir's arm, causing him to blush. He hoped no one noticed. "It doesn't matter how we met. He needed to talk to someone and he chose me, that's all."

"I think you two would be cute together." Kim said, a devious smile on his face.

"What about Ladybug? I thought Chat Noir loved her." Rose chimed in.

"I agree, but it's pretty obvious that Ladybug doesn't like him, so maybe he should go after Marinette." Nino added. "Especially since they have a baby together now. Then Ladybug could go after her mystery guy, and-"

"Mystery guy?" Kim asked. "What mystery guy?"

Alya shook her head and stopped recording. "You would know if you read the Ladyblog. Ladybug rejected Chat Noir because there's a guy she's crushing on."

"Who is it?" Rose asked.

"We don't know. She won't say anything about it 'cause she doesn't want to reveal her identity." Alya stated matter-of-factly.

"Fine." Nino concluded. "All I'm saying is Chat Noir and Marinette would make a good couple."

"I guess…" Alya conceded. "But I still ship Ladynoir. By the way, what would Chat Noir and Marinette's ship name be?"

"Marinoir?" Kim suggested.

"No."

"Chatnette?"

"Uh-uh."

"Marichat?"

"Hmm…" Alya paused, considering it. "Yeah. Marichat."

"Okay then." Nino said. "I ship Marichat."

"Same." Kim said.

"Me too!" Rose added. There was a murmur of agreement from the rest of the class.

Marinette was getting annoyed. "Um, guys? We're still here, you know."

Alya laughed. "Sorry, girl. Now where were we?" She began recording again.

"Well, I'll answer any questions people have pertaining to them." Chat Noir said, gesturing to Marinette and Emma, the former now holding the latter.

"Are you the father?" Mylénè asked.

"Uh...no."

"Are you sure?" Chloè chimed in.

"Yes. I'm very sure."

"I don't know if I believe that." Chloè said, examining her nails. "You're being pretty secret about how she got the baby, so why should I trust you?"

Chat Noir was at a loss for words. Luckily, Marinette wasn't. "Chloè, superheroes are full of secrets. You can't expect them to give you every single detail of their life story."

"Well, Dupain-Cheng, you're not a superhero, but you're not giving any more information than he is."

"I'm only respecting his wishes, Chloè. I can't tell you any more than he did. It wouldn't be fair." Marinette defended, once again resting a hand on Chat's arm, near his bicep. Once again, Chat blushed, trying not to make it obvious. Since when did Marinette make him feel this way? _No, _he said to himself. _I just appreciate her defending me. That's all._ But he couldn't even convince himself of that.

The arguing between Marinette and Chloè seemed to drag on forever. The longer it went on, the louder it became, and Chat Noir couldn't help but notice that Emma looked like she was about to start crying. Without thinking, he leaned over to Marinette and put a finger on her lips.

He bent down to her ear and whispered, "I'll take Emma out in the hall for a while so you can talk. Good luck." He wordlessly asked for permission to take the bundle in Marinette's arms before cradling the baby in the crook of his elbow and starting his way out of the room.

And for absolutely no reason that he could come up with, he leaned down and kissed his princess softly on the temple before leaving. He didn't know why. It just seemed… right. Marinette didn't protest either. In fact, she didn't say anything.

She stood in complete silence as the rest of the class watched her cheeks grow several shades redder with every second that passed. She finally blinked and started stuttering some form of a comeback to whatever lame shade Chloè tried to throw at her.

"Yeah, well I-I-um… Y-you, I-I mean, m-me and um… yeah!" Marinette managed.

Luckily, Mme. Bustier took that opportunity to come back into the room. "Well, I trust that your questions have been sufficiently answered for now, so we can begin…"

Marinette stumbled back to her seat, mind clouded and cheeks still as red as her alter ego's suit. Alya, meanwhile, was having the hardest time trying to suppress her laughter.

"I didn't even know that shade of red existed!" She whispered to her BFF, referring to the color of said BFF's cheeks after being kissed by a superhero in a leather catsuit. Marinette just grumbled and focused her attention elsewhere.

Marinette half-heartedly stumbled through about 20 minutes worth of a lecture on something-or-other before her partner tiptoed back through the classroom door with Emma still cradled in his arms. She snapped to attention when he came in, not really expecting him to return, but there he was, plain as day.

Alya grabbed her stuff and slid into the seat next to Nino, usually reserved for Adrien, but not before giving Marinette a _very_ suggestive wink. Marinette scowled at her best friend. She could be a pain sometimes, but she was also someone you didn't want as an enemy.

Chat Noir stood awkwardly for a moment before gingerly sitting down next to Marinette. The few minutes that passed between the two of them were filled with the quietest silence they had ever heard.

Chat really wasn't planning on staying, but he decided he'd rather stay than risk Marinette being tortured at lunch when he wasn't around to stop it. She _was_ his princess, after all.

Marinette wasn't sure if she wanted Chat around or not. Sure, he could be cocky, arrogant, attention-seeking, and fiesty, but he was also sweet, patient, curious, and amazingly brave. Marinette found herself listing all of Chat's qualities, and the list was much fuller on the good side. Especially after the kiss.

She didn't know why she liked it, but it felt so natural. It wasn't that different from a kiss on the hand, after all. Right? Just a kind gesture. That's it. Then why did she want it to be more?

TAF: Part 2 out soon!


	5. Chapter 5

**Day 21 - Part 2**

Marinette was pleasantly surprised at the lack of drama, besides the occasional comment about "shipping Marichat", which seemed to be the new thing. Alya even said that she would pay Marinette to design Marichat merch. Marinette absolutely refused. Well, unless the price was right.

Chat Noir made the decision to stay for the rest of the day and drop her off at home after school was out. He even offered to drop by the Agreste mansion and give Adrien the lessons he missed today. Odd for a superhero, but a kind thing to do nonetheless.

Marinette expected nothing less after everything he had done for her in the past few days. Sure, he had left her with the responsibility of a week-old baby, but he had also gone out of his way to make sure she was okay.

She remembered his words from earlier that day: _I swear, I would do anything for you. If you ever need to talk, need a shoulder to cry on, if you're having a bad day, anything. You call me, day or night, and I'll come right over. I don't care where I am or what I'm doing. I will always make time for you, Princess._ He had finished that conversation by handing her a piece of paper with his phone number written on it.

Marinette's cheeks were burning again, or maybe still, as she felt the slip of paper in her pocket. But honestly, had his blonde hair always looked cute tousled like that? And don't even start with the eyes. Those piercing, green cat eyes. And the way he just seemed to ooze happiness wherever he went? It was absolutely intoxicating. _No, Marinette. Stop it. You're in love with Adrien Agreste. Not this silly kitty sitting next to you with a baby in his arms. Besided, he loves Ladybug, not you._

But he looked so cute playing with Emma. Just the way his face lit up when he held her, and the cute, airy laugh he let out when she would reach for her toys or his bell, and the broad, goofy grin that spread across his face when he was happy. Not the one he gave to reporters, not the silly Cheshire cat grin he used for Ladybug, but a genuinely happy smile that Marinette had only seen a couple of times.

_He's...he's kind of like Adrien, now that I think about it. _And for the first time in forever, the mere thought of Adrien didn't make Marinette's heart flutter, or make her stomach do backflips, or make her cheeks burn and her palms sweaty. No, the last time that happened was in Mme. Bustier's room when Chat Noir kissed Marinette on the head and whispered in her ear. _Strange…_

It was not a secret to anyone that Chat Noir loved Ladybug. But recently, he had found her lacking something. Somehow, seeing her every few days to battle an Akumatized villain or go on patrol wasn't enough to satisfy him, and he found her less and less impressive each time.

After all, they had been partners for almost two years, and he had stopped asking her out because he knew there was no chance of him dating her. He had stopped trying to woo her with roses and flirting and dumb cat puns. He had stopped trying to get her attention and steal a kiss from her. He had stopped idolizing her and stalking the Ladyblog for pictures of "his lady". That was another thing he stopped. The pet names.

He no longer called her 'M'lady' and 'Bugaboo'. Of course, he kept the friendlier ones, like 'LB', the ones that didn't imply more than a friendship. He was just respecting her wishes. It wasn't that he didn't like Ladybug, but he had lost some of his interest in her and started searching for someone else more… accessible. Someone who could make him truly happy.

Those people were hard to come by. But… looking over at the dark haired girl next to him, he couldn't help but think he might have found one. _Has Marinette always been that pretty? Have her eyes always been so… blue? Stunningly blue. And, by the way… did she always have freckles? I don't remember those. _

Marinette looked over at him before he could tear his eyes away from her face. Her face scrunched up in confusion, but her expression softened as her eyes locked onto his. For just a few seconds, there was no one else there. No physics teacher, no students, no school, no baby. Just the two of them in their own little world.

Chat Noir was grateful they were in public, though. If they were someplace else, he wasn't sure he could restrain himself from kissing her. He couldn't help but let his eyes drift to her lips, the way they looked so soft under the lights of the classroom. And man, did that make it awkward. When the bell rang, they finally stopped staring at each other, and Chat Noir noticed he had been holding his breath. For how long, he didn't know, but it must have been a while, because all of a sudden, he felt lightheaded.

Chat Noir looked over to read Marinette's expression. She looked calm, her cheeks a lovely rose shade, but she scrunched up her brow when she realized what time it was. Lunch time. And there was no way in hell she was leaving Chat Noir there while she went home.

She had become accustomed to resting a hand gently on his upper arm, and she stood up on tiptoes to whisper in Chat's ear.

"Do you want to go back to my house for lunch? We… we don't have to stay here if you don't want to."

Chat knew she would stay if he did, and he was sure she would go if he did. But he wanted her to feel comfortable eating lunch wherever they were. "Your choice."

Marinette's eyes widened as they saw Chloè heading their direction, probably to make some snide comment about something. "Um… we can go."

_If there's a god in heaven, don't let this be a repeat of last time. _Marinette said a silent prayer that no one eating lunch at her house would get Akumatized. After all, the last time Chat had met her parents, her dad got mad and turned into Weredad. That wasn't her best day.

"Chat Noir! It's so nice to have you back here!" Sabine was the first to greet him, as Tom was still in the back washing down the tables they had gotten batter and flour on that morning.

Chat responded with a nervous laugh. "Yeah, um… it's nice to see you again, ma'am."

"No need for formalities, son. Call me whatever makes you feel comfortable. If you want to call me Sabine, or Mom, or Mrs. Dupain Cheng, I don't care. Whatever you're comfortable with."

"Thank you." Chat Noir felt his heart leap at Marinette's mother's kindness towards him, and the way she treated him like her own son. Another reason he loved Marinette. The list was growing all the time.

Lunch was pretty uneventful. Tom was excited to have Chat Noir back, much to the latter's surprise. The four of them made small talk, Marinette excusing herself once when Emma began to cry, but other than that, it was a nice, peaceful lunch. Afterwards, Marinette went upstairs to get a paper she forgot for school while Chat spoke to the Dupain Chengs.

Marinette took her turn holding Emma on the way back to François Dupont, Chat absentmindedly slipping his hand into hers. Marinette tensed at first but soon relaxed, realizing how good it felt to hold someone's hand. However, their moment was ruined as quickly as it began.

_CRASH! _A car smashed into a building, probably injuring or killing any passengers. Screams echoed throughout the streets as a young woman came flying into view, decked out from head to toe in a black bodysuit, adorned with little books and pencils. She let out an evil laugh. Though high-pitched, it was still menacing and villainous.

Catching a glimpse of Chat Noir, the villain wrote something in a diary she carried with her and closed it with a smirk. Instantly, some bricks from a nearby building formed a wall around Chat Noir and Marinette, Emma clutched tightly to her chest.

"What the-Cataclysm!" Chat slammed his palm against the bricks, turning them to ash. The villain fake-yawned, as if signaling that she was bored, before writing in her diary once again, and as she closed it, another wall formed around the three, shutting out all light as bricks formed a solid box around them.

_Beep! Beep!_ Chat's ring beeped its first warning, a green pad disappearing from the paw print. Four minutes left, no way to get out, and no _way_ Marinette would risk transforming. But there was one thing for sure. They were screwed.

TAF: Sorry this one turned into a part three. Thanks for reading, and I'll try to post another chapter tomorrow!


	6. Chapter 6

**Day 21 - Part 3**

"I have to get you two out of here!" Chat Noir said, trying to figure out how he was going to do that without the use of his Cataclysm and with only four minutes left before he transformed back. _Beep! Beep!_ Three minutes. Helpful.

"And you need to stop the villain." Marinette reminded him.

Chat shook his head. "I'm sure Ladybug's already on it. I trust her. You're my top priority right now." Marinette hoped it was dark enough that Chat couldn't see her blush at his concern for her and his faith in her alter ego.

"I'm going to detransform soon." Chat Noir was beginning to panic. He only had two pads left now, and there was barely enough room for the three of them to fit, much less enough for Marinette to turn around so she wouldn't see his civilian form.

He was frantic; Marinette could tell even though she couldn't see him. She wasn't sure she could handle it any better in a situation like that, but she still wanted to calm him down.

"Chat?" Chat Noir stopped his panic for a second to look at her. "I-if you need to detransform, I won't look."

"Really?"

She smiled and hoped that he could see the wink she gave him. "Cat's honor."

"Okay, just… I'll let you know when it's safe, okay?"

"Okay."

Chat inhaled deeply. "Claws in." Marinette shut her eyes tight as a green flash lit up the area. She was close enough to feel the energy from the transformation drop. _Okay Marinette. Don't look. Keep your eyes shut. _They were in a similar situation to Dark Owl, and Marinette found it no problem to keep her eyes closed then. Why was it so hard to resist the temptation now?

She heard a yawn that definitely didn't sound like Chat Noir.

"Plagg, shhh!" Adrien whispered to his Kwami, hopefully being quiet enough so Marinette couldn't hear. She wasn't supposed to know what a Kwami was. But she did hear and she did know what a Kwami was, but Adrien didn't know that. Marinette stifled a giggle at the insanity of their situation.

"You okay?" Chat asked.

"Yeah, yeah, I'm fine." _Marinette, keep your eyes closed!_ She was mentally scolding herself for even wanting to open her eyes and see him detransformed. _A little peek wouldn't hurt, right?_ She tried to force her eyes to stay closed.

_No, Marinette. Stop right there! Don't even think about it!_ Her eyelids fluttered for a second before shutting even tighter than before. Her head was pointed down; she didn't see his face. What she did see was a pair of orange shoes. Gabriel brand, to be exact. She would recognize the butterfly logo anywhere. _Doesn't… Adrien wear those shoes? _She scrunched up her face in pensive thought.

"Are you sure you're okay?" Chat asked again.

"Huh? Yeah. Yeah, just thinking."

"About what?"

_Your shoes, how I broke my promise to keep my eyes closed, the fact that I might literally know you in your civilian form. _"Nothing, really." Chat couldn't be Adrien, though. The two weren't even similar. He couldn't be. _Could he? _

Marinette's train of thought was derailed, though. "Plagg, claws out!" A flash of green light once again enveloped the box they were in, causing Emma to start crying. Marinette was getting tired of that. And just when she momentarily forgot about her little responsibility, too.

"Cataclysm!" Chat yelled as Marinette opened her eyes for real. Once again, he placed his palm on the bricks, turning them to ash. Marinette squinted at the sudden presence of daylight in her eyes.

The Akuma was still close, though, and narrowly missed the three of them as Chat grabbed Marinette around the waist and ducked behind the school building.

"We have to get to someplace safer than this!" Chat yelled as he looked around for a good hiding spot.

"You have to go fight. We'll be fine here." Marinette needed a place to transform, and that had to involve Chat not being there.

"Are you crazy? No way I'm leaving you here. Ladybug's probably on it already. She's usually there first anyway."

Marinette was getting desperate. "Do you see Ladybug?" She snapped. "You need to go fight. Now. Emma and I will be fine."

"Listen to me, Marinette. I will not let you stay here by yourself. You've been in direct danger I-don't-know-how-many-times. I'm not sure I could count that high! Let's face it. You have a knack for getting into trouble." His expression softened considerably as he looked directly into her eyes. "I care about you, Marinette. That's why I don't trust myself to go and fight without worrying about you staying here. Please, just stay with me. I'm sure Ladybug can handle the situation."

_Okay, Marinette. You need to try something else, because this really isn't working. At all. _"Why don't I hide in the locker room with Emma?"

Chat arched an eyebrow. "That's not a very safe hiding place."

"Well… what if I hid _in_ the locker?"

"If I were you, I'd be getting a little _claws-_trophobic by now, Princess." The concern on his face changed into a cocky Cheshire cat grin.

"Paris needs you."

"You need me too."

"I can wait."

Chat was conflicted. He really didn't want to leave her, but he also didn't notice Ladybug out there near the newest villain. He opened his baton to use the GPS tracker on her, but he didn't see her symbol anywhere on the map. _I can wait._ He swallowed hard as her words flashed back through his brain. Why did she have to be so damn selfless?

She was right, though. Paris needed him. If he steered the villain away from Marinette and Emma, they would be in less danger. But he did have to do something. And fast. He only had three minutes left, once again. _Sigh._

"Okay. But if you're not careful, you'll hear about it from me later. I'll check in on you when I have a minute and you'd better be there." Chat warned her.

"Okay, fine. We don't have time to argue about this. You're going to transform back in two minutes."

Chat sighed in exasperation. The day was only half over, and he'd faked a sickness, snuck out of school, spent half a day with Marinette and Emma, gotten stuck in a box of bricks - twice, transformed - twice, and was preparing to fight the newest villain - potentially without Ladybug. _Where was she anyway?_ "Good luck."

Marinette giggled. "Back at ya, kitty cat. Hope you make it back before you lose all nine lives." And if that wasn't enough, she topped it all off with his signature wink.

Chat said nothing more. He wasn't sure he could say anything if he tried. He just turned away and ran off, nearly running into the wall in his stupefaction, but successfully making it outside.

Meanwhile, Marinette had a different problem at hand. She needed to transform. Not that she didn't trust Chat Noir and knew that he could absolutely handle it himself if he needed to, but she was the only one that could purify Akumas. However, there were a couple of problems with that.

She knew that Chat Noir never lied, and he would definitely be checking in on her, supposedly hiding in her locker with Emma. And there was Emma. No way Marinette would leave her alone for what could be hours in a locker room. That wasn't happening.

All this worrying momentarily distracted her from thinking about how Chat Noir might be Adrien Agreste, the boy she had obsessed over for the past two years. The boy around whom she couldn't form a coherent sentence, who seemed to multiply her clumsiness by thousands, whose entire schedule was in her room, surrounded by dozens of pictures of him? Yeah, that boy.

_Stop it, Marinette. This isn't what you should be focusing on right now!_ Marinette was getting used to mentally yelling at herself by now. She had been doing it a whole ton in the past few days. _A plan, a plan; I need a plan. And fast. I have to go help Chat with the Akuma._ She had one chance. She wasn't sure it would work, but her parents surely would have gotten wind of the Akuma right outside their house by now. It was hard to miss. So…

Marinette ran to her locker, Emma in her arms, and gently placed the latter on the shelf usually reserved for her extra books. She closed the door and frantically looked around, making sure no one was in close enough proximity to endanger her transformation. "Tikki, you can come out."

"What's your plan, Marinette?" The Kwami flew out of her hiding place in Marinette's handmade purse, grateful to be able to talk to her chosen again.

"I need Ladybug. I have an idea." Marinette pulled a sheet of blank paper out of her school bag, scribbling a note to Chat Noir.

'Chat,

Ladybug told me to hide elsewhere because the locker room wasn't safe. She took Emma to my parents' place.

-M'

Marinette took the note and left it sticking out of the locker vent so Chat would be sure to find it, should he come back in search of her and Emma.

"Okay. Tikki, spots on!" Marinette transformed into Ladybug, setting the next part of her plan in action. She went back to her locker and grabbed Emma, running out of the school and straight to the patisserie where her parents were. Going to the door, she noticed that they were hiding. Probably in the back room, as per their Akuma safety rules. But luckily, Chat had steered the villain away from them.

Ladybug knocked on the door as loud as she could, causing Tom to peek his head out. She waved at her father and smiled, miming to him that she wanted to come in. Tom gave her a thumbs up before ducking back down to tell Sabine why he was leaving. A few seconds later, he appeared, unlocking the door and letting the superheroine inside.

"Hello, Da- uh, Mssr. Dupain."

"Hello, Ladybug. What brings you here?"

"Chat Noir entrusted this baby to your daughter, Marinette, is that correct?"

Tom looked at Emma and nodded. "Yes, that's right."

Ladybug slowly reiterated her carefully thought out plan to her father. "I took Marinette to a safe place with some of her other classmates, but I thought it would be wise to leave Emma with the two of you instead. Can you take care of her until Chat Noir and I have purified the Akuma?"

Tom took a heroic stance. "Anything to help you do your job, Ladybug!"

"Thank you, monsieur."

"Anytime."

Ladybug left, checking her GPS for Chat's signal. "Tour Montparnasse, huh? Haven't been there in a while." She swung off into the distance on her yoyo, hoping it would be a rather short fight. She was wrong, of course.


	7. Chapter 7

**Day 21 - Part 4**

Ladybug touched down silently on the rooftop where Chat was. He… wasn't fighting. Just sitting there.

She snuck up behind him and tapped him on the shoulder. "What's going on, Chat?"

He wasn't a bit surprised to see her. After all, it's hard to sneak up on someone with heightened senses. "I don't know. I can't figure out what she's doing. She hasn't said a word. I know she sees me, but she's purposefully avoiding me."

"Maybe her name could be a clue." Ladybug mused.

"But I don't know her name."

"Suppose we find out." Ladybug stood up, going over to where the Akumatized girl was. "Hey, you! You'd better give up or we'll have to do things the hard way." Ladybug deliberately used a threat that never worked. Villains didn't just "give up". They always did it the hard way.

"I guess we're doing it the hard way, then." The villain twirled her pencil in her hand.

Ladybug turned back to Chat Noir. "I think the Akuma might be in her pencil."

"I think you're right. Let's get it."

Ladybug began formulating a plan in her mind. "Okay. You distract her, staying out of danger, of course. I'll try to grab the pencil."

"Got it." Chat Noir immediately went to work, throwing lame insults and puns at the villain, solely as a means of distraction meant to give Ladybug a chance to do her thing.

"You're late." The villain hissed.

"Well, it's better to be late than arrive ugly. I spend a lot of time grooming, you know. After all, I am a cat." Chat quipped.

"Stop trying to be funny!"

"I'm not funny. I'm just really mean and people think I'm joking. Probably something in my dazzling smile, don't you think?"

"Ugh. This is boring." The villain had her pencil ready to strike.

_One more, Chat. Come on._ Ladybug was trying to send her partner a telepathic message to egg the villain on just a bit more.

"Oh, yeah? What makes you so exciting?" Chat asked, a cocky smile on his face.

"If you don't know, I guess I'll have to show you." Pencil touched to paper, and Ladybug instantly threw her yoyo out, wrapping it around the pencil and pulling it back to her. An angry expression took over the villain's face after another unidentifiable emotion flashed across her eyes, going unnoticed by the superheroes.

Ladybug broke the pencil in half and opened her yoyo, ready to catch the butterfly. "No more evildoing for you, little- huh? Where's the Akuma?"

The villain interrupted with a maniacal laugh, pulling another pencil from her pocket. "It's not there, Bug. But _I_ am! I am Scribe, and you can't stop me!" With that, the villain now known as Scribe flew away towards the Eiffel Tower in the distance.

Chat pole vaulted over to Ladybug, who was standing on the Tour Montparnasse, dumbfounded. "Maybe it's in the book?" Chat suggested.

"Yeah. Yeah, it's got to be." Ladybug recollected her thoughts.

Chat flipped open his staff, checking the time. "You go ahead; I'll catch up with you in a few minutes."

"Why? What's wrong?"

"There's someone I have to check on. I'll be back, 'kay?" Chat took off without waiting for a response, but Ladybug knew exactly where he was headed. Back to the locker room.

"Time for the last phase of my plan." Ladybug mumbled to herself. She caught her yoyo on a street lamp, beginning the shortcut she knew to get back to Collѐge François Dupont. Chat Noir wasn't dumb; he would believe Marinette, but he needed proof.

Ladybug made her way back and slipped through the locker room window, noticing Chat's silhouette inching closer.

"Spots off." She hissed, feeling the transformation wither away with a flash of light and a gust of wind.

"I'll be lookout." Tikki said, zipping off to find an empty classroom. She did so in a few seconds, but not a moment too soon. Marinette raced after her Kwami and ducked into the room she would use as a temporary hiding place.

A minute later, she heard the soft _thunk_ of Chat's boots on the ground and his careful footsteps going towards her empty locker. Marinette stayed as quiet as she could, peeking out the window as Chat Noir knocked on the door.

"Princess? It's me." He whispered to no one.

Marinette felt a tug at her heart. She didn't want him to get nervous, but it was part of her plan.

Chat's breath caught in his throat at the lack of response from his Princess. He told himself not to worry, that it was fine, she was fine. But his anxiety was rising; it would not let him wait another second. He threw open the locker door only to find it empty.

He began to panic, his breathing ragged as he looked around frantically for any trace of her. Carefully, he closed the locker, causing a folded paper to fall from the vent. He picked it up, impatiently opening it and reading the vague message scrawled in the middle. _Where is elsewhere? When did Ladybug come across Marinette? Is Mari still okay? Was she ever okay?_ The questions were racing through his head a mile a minute.

Chat Noir ran a nervous hand through his hair overanalyzing every possible scenario as usual, but his mental ranting was interrupted.

"_Psst._" Chat whipped his head around, but nobody was there. "In the window." He glanced towards the nearest classroom window and was greeted with Marinette's sweet smile as she waved at him from inside.

At this point, Chat's head was pounding with fear, the rational side of his brain completely shutting down. He ran to the classroom door, tearing it open violently and heading straight for his Princess. With trembling arms, he pulled her into an embrace, a feeling of serenity washing over him.

Marinette had never seen Chat look the way he did. He was - to put it affectionately - a hot mess. His hair was mussed, his cheeks flush, and he seemed to be shaking more and more with every frantic step he took towards her. He pulled her into a bone-crushing hug, arms wrapped tight around her midsection, and she returned the gesture, nuzzling her face into the crook of his neck.

The pair stayed like that for a time that passed like hours, but felt so quick at the same time. Physical affection was never really necessary with them; they usually resorted to playful banter, mostly in the forms of flirting or puns.

But somehow the rare display felt natural to Chat Noir, as if it was a habit, and an addicting one at that. Marinette had a comforting presence, and Chat thought he could stand there forever, their breaths mixing and absorbing each other's body heat. The warmth she evoked was like a drug to him; it was the thing he had been missing for so long.

Although Marinette enjoyed it as much as her partner, she had been the one to end it.

"Don't you have a villain to fight?" She said, voice muffled by Chat Noir's shoulder.

He paused for a moment, then sighed. "Yeah. Yeah, I do." He slowly pulled away, holding both of her hands and staring into her eyes. "Will you be alright without me?"

"I'll be fine. Don't worry about me."

"If you need me to stay, I-"

"No. N. O. Ladybug might need help out there. She needs you more than I do."

Chat pouted, which Marinette had to admit, looked pretty cute. He resembled a little boy the way his arms were folded across his chest and he exhaled loudly.

"Fine. But don't think I won't be back."

Marinette smiled up at him. "Okay. I'll be here."

Chat walked to the door. "Bye."

"Bye."

Chat Noir was more at ease knowing Marinette was safe, though he certainly wasn't rid of his anxieties about worst-case scenarios and all that. He leapt more freely through Paris, taking in the mid-day beauty of the city as he headed to the spot where the Akuma victim seemed to be.

Marinette just hoped she could make it back before her partner got to where she was supposed to be and wasn't.

"Tikki, spots on!" She let her transformation envelop her, and she barely waited for her yoyo to appear around her waist before jumping onto the ledge and swinging off again, taking the same shortcut she used previously.

Luckily, she was right on time, and tried to appear as though she had been waiting for Chat Noir when he touched down next to her on the roof.

"What took you so long?" She asked the question innocently, as if she didn't know the answer.

"I, uh…look out!" He didn't have the time to finish his statement because Scribe was heading their way.

"The Akuma has to be in that book!" Ladybug regained her focus, letting all other matters go for the moment.

"You're right. We can't get to it easily, though. I think I've figured out her power."

"What do you think?" Ladybug didn't want to admit that she had been paying less attention than usual, so she let Chat Noir put in his two cents and decided to go from there.

"Okay, so Scribe writes a lot in her book, which fits with her name. When she closes it after writing, something happens."

Ladybug began. "So we either need to keep her from writing in it…"

"Or keep her from closing it." Chat finished.

"Right." Ladybug grinned. "Lucky Charm!" She threw her yoyo up into the air, hoping for a less obscure one than usual. She received a balloon in return.

"What do you think, m'lady?"

"Hmm…" Ladybug looked around, not seeing anything useful. "I can't find anything." She furrowed her brow, jumping to a lower spot. Her Lucky Vision began to take effect. _A hose, Chat's staff, my yoyo._ "Okay. I've got a plan. I'll need you to take out the book when I say 'go'."

"Well, honestly, you would make a much more appealing date, but…"

"Chat!"

"As m'lady wishes." Chat grinned, watching Ladybug leap onto the ground and following her.

She stretched the mouth of the balloon over the spout of the hose and turned the handle. The rubber expanded, and after a minute, the balloon looked like it was about to explode. Ladybug twisted the handle back so no more water flowed through and carefully plugged the mouth with Chat Noir's staff.

"Okay, I'm ready." Ladybug gingerly climbed back up onto the roof with the contraption, trailed by her partner, who still had no idea what was happening.

"Why didn't you tie off the balloon? It's going to explode the way you're doing it."

"Yeah." Ladybug grinned deviously. It was all part of her plan. "Here." She handed Chat his staff. "Extend it out to her and let me know when it's above the book."

Chat pressed the button and his staff extended, the balloon getting closer and closer to Scribe as Ladybug went around the other side. Once it was dangling in the air about a foot above the book Scribe held, Chat gave Ladybug a thumbs up. She threw her yoyo out and wrapped it around the mouth of the balloon.

"Now, Chat!" She yelled to him. Chat pulled his staff back, but the balloon didn't go with it, instead letting water flow out all over the pages of Scribe's Akumatized book. She frantically tried to brush the water off, but it wasn't going to work. Scribe tried writing in one of the pages, but it was soaked through, and the paper ripped easily.

"You!" Scribe screamed at Chat while Ladybug, meanwhile, had the perfect angle to grab the book. "Ah!" The book reeled back towards Ladybug, who hurled it back to her partner.

"Go!"

"Cataclysm!" Chat activated his power as the book flew into his charged hand, destroying it.

Ladybug leapt back over to Chat. "Thank you!" She turned back to the purple butterfly fluttering into the sky. "No more evildoing for you, little Akuma. Time to de-evilize!" Hurling her yoyo into the air, she intercepted the Akuma and brought it back to her. "Gotcha!" She released it into the sky again, now a plain white butterfly. "Bye, bye, little butterfly!" Ladybug picked up the empty balloon and threw it into the air. "Miraculous Ladybug!" With a few swarms of magic, the city was back to normal.

Chat suddenly remembered Marinette, who was likely fine, but he wanted to make sure. He began to leave, but Ladybug stopped him by holding out a fist.

"Bien joue!" Chat returned her fist bump and they congratulated each other on defeating another villain.

"Your earrings!" Ladybug put a hand to her ear. There were only two spots left, and one of them was blinking.

"Gotta go! Can you take care of her?" She gestured to the civilian girl sitting on the roof by them, looking dazed.

"Of course."

"You're the best. Bug out!" Ladybug waved to her partner before zipping away on her yoyo, anxious to get back to the school before Chat Noir got there.

Chat walked over to the girl. "Hey."

"Wh-what happened?"

"You were Akumatized, but you're okay now." Chat knelt down, putting a reassuring hand on her shoulder.

"Oh. Well, it was kind of silly, actually. I mean, why I got Akumatized."

"Why? If you don't mind me asking."

"Well, some girl stole my diary and read it to the whole class. It had a lot of secrets and things that never happened. Like, I had a crush on this guy and I made up stuff and wrote it in there. But it was super embarrassing and now I know he doesn't like me either."

Chat's ring flashed. He was down to two pads. "Well, you have to face your class sooner or later. Why don't you tell me where your house is and I'll take you there."

"Okay." Marinette would have to wait. He had other superhero duties to take care of and his Miraculous needed to be recharged.

Five minutes later, Chat Noir was back in business. He had gotten the girl back home in just enough time to duck into an alley before his transformation dropped. Luckily, he had an extra piece of Camembert on him in case of an emergency.

"Ugh. Finally." Plagg groaned dramatically, flopping on the ground.

Adrien pulled the cheese out and waved it under his Kwami's nose. Plagg opened his eyes wide and accepted the Camembert, finishing it in one gulp.

"Charged up?"

"Yep." Plagg said, mouth full.

"Good. Plagg, claws out!"

"Wait, I thought we were don-ahh!" Adrien ignored his Kwami's protest and transformed, hurrying back to finish the rest of the school day with Marinette. He saw her walking back home, probably to get Emma back, and he joined her.

"Hey, Princess."

"Hi, Chat." She reached out to push the patisserie door open, but Chat beat her to it.

"Ladies first." Marinette rolled her eyes, but there was a smile on her face.

"Hey, Maman." She said, walking inside.

Her mom was running the cash register at the time, so she greeted them first. "Hi, Marinette, Chat Noir. Emma is in the back room."

"Oh, yeah." Marinette said, suddenly remembering her other responsibility besides saving Paris. She went into the back and exchanged greetings with her father, picking a sleeping Emma up off the table carefully and starting up the steps to her room. Chat followed her, unsure why she was going upstairs and not back to school.

Marinette noticed her partner following her to her bedroom. "You can leave now, Chat. Unless you want to help me with my homework."

"What about school?"

Marinette raised an eyebrow and looked at the time on her phone. "It's practically dinnertime, Chat. You're welcome to stay for dinner, though."

"Oh, no, I can't stay. Thanks anyway."

Marinette smiled. "Sure. See you later."

"Bye." Chat Noir went back downstairs and out the door, secretly wishing he had more time to spend with Marinette and Emma.

That night, Marinette was having a lot of trouble focusing on her homework. Usually Tikki would provide some encouragement, but Marinette couldn't risk it. Even though Emma was a baby, it was too dangerous to let anyone know her secret identity.

She stumbled through a few long hours of physics, geometry, and literature homework, anxious to get to bed. But of course, as soon as she finished up and packed all her books in her bag for the next day, Emma started crying. Marinette flopped back onto her bed with a groan muffled by her pillow, but she cradled Emma in her arms and went downstairs to the apartment.

She found Emma's bottle on the counter and searched around for the tin of formula. After a few minutes of searching, she knocked softly on her parents' bedroom.

"Maman?" A moment later, Sabine appeared from behind the door.

"Yes?"

"Where did you put the formula?"

"Oh, dear. I think I left it downstairs. I'll get it for you."

"Thank you, Maman." Marinette sat down in a kitchen chair, rocking Emma in hopes that she would stop crying. Hopefully it wouldn't disturb Papa. He got kind of edgy if he didn't get his beauty sleep.

"Here you are, sweetie." Marinette's mom said, yawning, when she returned with the tin of formula. "Do you need help?"

"I can handle it, Maman. It's okay. Go back to bed."

Sabine chuckled at her daughter's attempt at independence. "If you say so." She blew Marinette a kiss before ducking back into her room and turning off the light.

Marinette set Emma down on the cushioned chair so she could make her some formula. She took a scoop of powder and put some water in the bottle, mixing it together. Once it was ready, she decided to take Emma back to her room so she wouldn't wake her parents. After all, they ran a business and had to get up early in the morning. She just had to go to school.

A little while later, Emma was fast asleep, as was Marinette. Marinette dreamed of Adrien again. She was holding hands with him and walking through a park somewhere. It looked like some fairytale land. She looked away from dream Adrien for a second, and when she turned back, she was with Chat Noir, not Adrien. And they were back on the candlelit rooftop with the roses, where Chat had confessed his love to Ladybug, but in the dream, it was Marinette he was with.

Marinette awoke with a start from the dream. _More like a nightmare_, she thought. Though perhaps not as bad as the time she accidentally told Chat she loved him so he wouldn't figure out her identity. But as long as it was only in her mind, it would stay that way. _That's all it was. Just a dream._


	8. Chapter 8

TAF: I'd just like to apologize a whole bunch for not publishing anything for a while. I had some serious writer's block and then spent three days writing this chapter. I'm going to make a valiant effort to publish every couple of days now. Sorry again for making you guys wait so long!

**Day 20**

Marinette had some time before school started, and she felt like it was going to be a good day. She woke up on time for once, and not because of her alarm or Emma. She didn't know why she got up so early, but it gave her more time to get ready. Everything was going fine. She fed Emma, ate breakfast, made sure all her things were packed for school, and even had enough time to sketch out some more ideas for clothing designs before she had to go.

She meandered to school slowly, not running because she actually had time to make it there without worrying about her usual tardiness. Everything was fine and normal. Until she walked into the classroom. Most of the class was already there, and those that were had switched the seating arrangement. It was a vicious reminder to Marinette that the last time the seating changed, she almost got Akumatized. Without saying a word to Alya, just smiling and waving, she took her seat in the back, fearing it would only make matters worse if she knew what was going on.

_Please don't let it be Lila, please don't let it be Lila, please don't… _Marinette repeated it like a mantra in her head, hoping that for once everything would work out. _If it's Lila, I don't know what I'll do, because she makes me so mad the way everyone believes everything she says and if I get Akumatized who will take care of Emma and what will Chat Noir do because I'm the only one that can purify Akumas and I can't turn into a villain and-_

"Hey!" A sickeningly sweet voice momentarily distracted Marinette from her rambles. "I'm so sorry to make everyone move again so I can sit in the front. You must all think I'm awful!"

_Yes,_ Marinette thought to herself. _Yes, I do._ But the whole class chorused back at her in reply. "Of course not!", "No! We could never think that!", "You're not awful!", "We're so happy to have you back with us!", among other things. _What an awful way to start the day._

Mme. Bustier popped her head through the door. "Sorry I'm late! Mssr. Damocles is having an emergency teacher meeting on Akuma safety. Marinette and Alya, as class representative and deputy, I trust you can keep the situation under control." And with that, she left.

"You're having problems with your hearing again?" Kim asked.

"Yes," Lila said, flashing her sad puppy dog eyes and raising a hand to her ear. "Unfortunately, my tinnitus came back. I thought it was gone, but apparently Ladybug wasn't strong enough to fix it. She's just not powerful enough for that."

_As if I would fix it if I could,_ Marinette thought, shooting a death glare in Lila's direction. _I can't fix imaginary diseases, and I'm afraid pathological lying is incurable. _Lila caught her line of sight before she sat down next to _Adrien_ of all people and returned the look with an evil smirk of her own. _God, she's worse than Hawk Moth sometimes_!

But instead of sitting down, Lila let out an over-the-top, melodramatic gasp and made her way over to Marinette's seat. "You had your baby, didn't you? I wish you would've _told_ me so I could have been there when it happened! What's her name?"

"Emma." Marinette hissed curtly.

"What a _cute_ name!" Lila gushed over the bundle in Marinette's arms while Alya stood up and walked over in their general direction, looks of shock, confusion, and betrayal flashing across her face.

"I thought you said the baby wasn't yours!" Alya said, temper flaring.

"It's not, believe me." Marinette defended.

"How come you told Lila about your baby but not me? I thought I was your best friend!" Alya looked shattered that Marinette would even _consider_ the _heinous_ crime of not telling her first. She had completely gone over to Lila's side and was willing to believe anything that came out of that bratty, snobby, Italian girl's mouth.

"I thought _I_ was _your_ best friend! Whatever happened to defending me in the cafeteria and the two very good reasons that I couldn't be pregnant? Whatever happened to the whole 'She was in school on the day she was supposed to have said baby' thing? Whatever happened to believing in _me_ and not always jumping to her defense? I thought we were best friends!"

"I don't always jump to her defense!" Alya snapped. "And I don't know why you hate Lila so much either. You're always telling me she's lying with no other proof than you _eavesdropping_ on Lila and Adrien in the park that one time. Everyone tells little white lies sometimes. It's not unusual."

Kim was the first to react, but Marinette could see the distressed look on Adrien's face from across the room. "You spied on Adrien and Lila? Why?"

Lila put on her best hurt expression and began to shed crocodile tears. "Why do you hate me? You said we were friends! You said we were best friends!" Lila pulled out a necklace on a silver chain. It was half of a heart that said 'Best' and it must have gone with a partner necklace saying 'Friends'. Man, she was good.

Alya fumed. "You said _she_ was your best friend? I thought _I_ was!" As Alya raised her voice, Emma's expression was getting more and more strained. Finally, the dam burst.

"You _were_." Marinette glowered at Alya, rocking Emma in her arms. "Excuse me." With that, Marinette left the room and headed back to the locker room to take care of Emma, who had a serious aversion to loud noises. _What a day for Mme. Bustier to have a meeting._

In the classroom, Adrien was helpless to do anything but listen to the conversations unraveling behind him as his classmates tried to figure everything out. And honestly? Adrien was trying to figure Marinette out. _Why would she eavesdrop on us in the park? Is that how she knows about Lila lying?_ The questions kept racing through his mind as he caught little snippets of the things everyone was saying about Marinette.

"...thought she was so nice and friendly…" Mylénѐ thought aloud.

"...maybe she's changed…" Nino suggested.

"...known her since kindergarten…" Max chipped in.

"...such a _liar_! I can't believe it… Alya still couldn't get over the feeling of betrayal.

"...and I don't understand…we were friends…" Lila lied through her teeth, desperate to get the class to reach the boiling point. They sure were getting close.

"Maybe she's just stressed out. Taking care of a baby is a big responsibility, you know." Rose, forever an incurable optimist, still had Marinette's back.

When Chloѐ joined in, Adrien began to pay more attention. "She's been nothing but awful to me for a long time. _She's_ the liar around here. That brat has finally shown you all her true colors. Hate to say I told you so, but-"

"Then don't." Adrien cut Chloѐ off harshly. "And just think about it. Has Marinette ever been anything less than kind and wonderful to all of you like, I don't know, ever? I've only been here for a little while, but let me tell you, I've heard nothing but good things about Marinette. Do you need me to list them? Because I will." However, the teacher meeting was over, and Mme. Bustier came back in the room.

She noticed everyone clustered near the back of the room. "Everyone, please, sit down! I don't understand what's happening here. Where's Marinette?"

"She had to step out and take care of Emma." Adrien supplied.

"Alya, it was your job as deputy to make sure the room stays quiet, even if the representative isn't in the room. Do you understand that?" Mme. Bustier's disappointment was audible.

Alya hung her head and sat down. "Yes, ma'am."

"Good. Now we have a short class today and a lot of material to cover, so let's get started. It looks like everyone is present except for Marinette, so I won't bother taking attendance this morning."

Adrien raised his hand. "Uh...Mme. Bustier, may I go check on Marinette?"

"Of course, Adrien. But hurry back. I don't want you to miss too much of my lesson." Adrien nodded and walked out of the room.

He didn't know what he was expecting to find, but he wasn't expecting Marinette and Emma to both be crying on the floor of the locker room. When Marinette noticed him, she quickly dried her tears and smiled at him. "Hey, up. What's Adrien? What? No! I mean, uh...hey Adrien, what up? What's up, I mean. Yeah. What's up?"

"What's up with you?" His expression was concerned, but his tone strict.

"Nothing." Marinette looked down at Emma, who hadn't stopped crying.

Adrien crossed his arms. "Cut it. What's going on?"

Marinette sighed and sat up. "Lila."

"I know you don't like her, but she didn't do anything _that_ terrible."

"I probably lost my best friend."

"Okay, yeah. That's true."

"But…" Marinette began, trailing off. She wasn't sure she wanted to open up to Adrien, but she didn't want to lie to him either.

"Go on." Adrien encouraged her.

"Do you remember the last time Lila was here?"

"When she got Akumatized? Yeah, I remember that."

"Well...I'm pretty sure that Akuma was meant for me." Marinette hung her head, not wanting to see Adrien's face. That was a first.

Adrien was taken aback. "But, w-why do you think so?"

Marinette chewed nervously on her bottom lip. No more secrets. "Okay. I'll start at the beginning. At lunch that day, everyone was getting things for Lila, because she claimed she had a sprained wrist and couldn't carry her tray. I was tired of nobody else believing me, so I decided to prove to Alya and Nino that she was a fake. I threw a napkin her way, and she caught it with the wrist she supposedly sprained. I thought I had her.

"Instead, she made up some story about how she once saw someone get their eye gouged out by the corner of a napkin, and insisted she was saving Max. Max wears glasses! But everyone immediately jumped back to her side when she pretended her wrist hurt because she saved Max's eye, or some crap like that. I was furious, and I needed to calm down, so I went to the bathroom.

"While I was there, Lila came in. I was still mad, and I told her I knew she was lying about her injuries, the trip around the world, meeting Prince Ali, and a bunch of other things. She said she was just telling people what they wanted to hear. Then she…" Marinette stopped and drew in a shaky breath.

Adrien sat down next to her. "What did she do, Marinette?" He comfortingly squeezed her shoulder and smiled at her.

"She...she backed me up against a wall and _threatened_ me, Adrien. She said I was less dumb than the others, and if we weren't friends, she would make sure I didn't have any friends. I tried to brush it off, but I couldn't. Then an Akuma flew in and tried to go into my earrings, but I was able to escape." Marinette's voice grew softer as she noticed Emma stopped crying and was drifting off to sleep. "That's probably why she got Akumatized that day."

Adrien's eyes were wide with shock. Lila had been _bullying_ Marinette, not just lying to her. "You should've told me sooner! I didn't know it was that bad, Marinette. But…I do have one question."

"Yeah?"

"Why did yo

u follow the two of us to the park?"

Marinette mentally omitted the parts of the story about her being Ladybug, meeting Master Fu, and having a crush on Adrien, and told him as much of it as she dared. "Well...it's kind of weird."

"Marinette, we live in a city where animal-themed superheroes fight people infested with evil butterflies. I think I've probably heard weirder things."

Marinette giggled. "Okay, then. When I came to school, everyone was talking about Lila, and Alya showed me the interview she had where Lila claimed to be Ladybug's best friend. Something just didn't seem right about her. So I was in the library with the two of you at the time, and when you got up to leave, I noticed you dropped your bag. Well, you remember that book that was in there?"

"You know about my father's book?"

"Now I do. Lila took the book before you left."

"But I had it in the park. I got it out to look for a picture of Volpina." Adrien was struggling to make sense of the situation.

"But she stopped you, right? You never got the book out of your bag because it wasn't in there. I was watching from a distance and I saw her throw the book in the trash when she saw you coming over."

"She threw it in the trash?" Adrien asked incredulously.

Marinette only nodded and continued. "I was pretty sure it was your book from earlier, so I wanted to get it back and give it to you, but I didn't want either of you to notice I was there."

"How did you get it back, Marinette?"

Marinette struggled for an answer. "Well...I...when Ladybug came over, I took the opportunity and pulled it out, since you guys were focused on her. And I heard what Ladybug said to her, so…"

"That's how you know she was lying." Adrien finished for her.

"Yeah. I was going to give the book back the next day at school, but you weren't there. Chloè said you were never coming back, so I went to your house and returned the book to your father. I'm sorry I took it and didn't just give it back to you then. That was stupid of me." Marinette hung her head.

Adrien just smiled. "Nonsense, Marinette. You're the reason I'm still in school. If you hadn't followed us, you wouldn't have been able to retrieve the book, and I would still be grounded. Thank you." Adrien put an arm around her and pulled her close. "Are you okay to come back to class? It's fine if you're not; I'll just tell Mme. Bustier that you weren't feeling well."

"Thanks, but I'd better go back. I can't avoid it forever, right?" Marinette gave him a sad smile.

"Don't worry. It'll be okay. Remember, I know what happened. If you ever need to talk…"

"That's sweet of you. We should get back." It was then that Marinette realized she'd had almost an entire conversation with Adrien without stumbling over her words like usual.

"Yeah." Adrien took hold of her free hand and Marinette jumped back a bit. "May I?" Adrien asked.

"Yeah! Yeah, that's-that's fine." So they walked back to class, hand in hand, and both took a seat in the back row.

"Between you and me," Adrien whispered. "I'd much rather sit back here with you than up front with her." Marinette spent the remaining minutes of class blushing profusely every time Adrien said something or made eye contact with her. Still, she'd had worse days, for sure.

…

At lunchtime, Adrien apologized for not being able to stay with her, as his bodyguard was picking him up and taking him to a photoshoot. Marinette contemplated going home to eat lunch that day, but she decided that if she didn't face Lila now, she would only lose her nerve.

A few minutes before the bell rang and the class went down to the cafeteria, Marinette went to the bathroom to compose herself. Tikki quietly encouraged her from inside her purse, and Marinette was about to ditch and go home, but the bell rang and her decision-making time was over.

"Okay. Let's do this." Marinette walked into the cafeteria, head held high, and ignored the stares of her fellow classmates, including Alya, and, of course, Lila. She got her tray and sat down at an empty table, already wanting to remove herself from the situation. _No,_ she thought to herself. _You're staying. You can do this._

Soon everyone forgot about Marinette and resumed their conversations, everyone gushing over Lila.

"I'm Ladybug's best friend." Lila lied once more.

Alya cocked her head to the side. "What about Chat Noir?"

"Well, she's fine with him, but she told me she's rather have me as a friend than him. In fact...she even gave me a gift to prove it."

Marinette mangled the piece of bread she was holding in an effort not to scream at the top of her lungs. She was _so_ done with this.

"Well, it's kind of a secret, but I know I can trust all of you, and since everyone knows Queen Bee's identity…" Lila glanced at Chloè and smiled, pulling out a necklace. "...I guess I might as well tell you that I'm Rena Rouge." Everyone gasped, throwing out comments like, "No way!" or "That's awesome!".

Marinette was seconds away from banging her head against the wall repeatedly, but instead she subconsciously looked over at Alya, who stood up, grabbed Nino's hand, and walked out of the room. Marinette winced, not wanting to know where that conversation went.

…

Alya couldn't believe her ears. _Lila_ was Rena Rouge? Seriously? Without giving it a second thought, she stood up and took Nino's hand (a little too tightly, he thought as he winced in pain from his girlfriend's vice grip), pulling him out of the cafeteria.

"What's up, Alya?" He asked with a nervous laugh. He knew exactly what was up.

"Nino Lahiffe, I swear, if I didn't love you, you would be a dead man right now." Alya glared at him.

"Oh, you mean about the whole 'Lila being Rena Rouge' thing?"

"You know exactly what I mean. What are we going to do about it?"

Without hesitation, he replied, "Nothing."

"What?" Alya was taken aback.

"You heard me, Alya. You can't do anything about it."

"You want me to just let it lie? You want me to let her get away with that? Why don't we bring Ladybug in to deal with it? Why don't we-" He cut her off, putting his finger to her lips.

"No. Absolutely not." It wasn't like him to be so serious about something. "We can't tell anyone anything that might lead them on to our identities, which means staying clear of people like Lila for the time being. _Please_." He pleaded with her before turning around and walking back into the cafeteria, leaving Alya alone with her thoughts.

Alya wasn't even mad at Lila; she was mad at Ladybug. If Lila was Rena Rouge, that would explain why Ladybug didn't let Alya or the others keep the Miraculous. It would also explain why she looked like the hero version of the Akumatized Volpina.

Nino was probably right in telling Alya to live and let live, but perhaps with a bit of careful questioning… _Screw Nino, _Alya thought. _I can handle this on my own._ With a newfound sense of determination, she burst back into the cafeteria and walked up to Lila, who was surrounded by people admiring her necklace.

"Pretty sweet necklace, Lila. Did you say it was a Miraculous?" Alya knew she could prove Lila wrong. It might just take a little while.

"Yes, of course it is. It's the Fox Miraculous."

Alya feigned stupidity. "Gee, Lila..." Nino clear his throat behind her, a signal that she should stop talking, but Alya ignored him. "...that's really cool! What power does it give you?" Everyone's eyes turned from me back to Lila to see what she had to say about it.

"It's called Mirage. I can create any illusion I want using my magic flute." Well, she did her homework.

"How many times can you use it?" Alya asked, still trying to catch her in a lie.

Lila smiled in her sickeningly sweet way. "Just once. But if I transform again after using it, I can do it again."

"Interesting. How do you transform?"

"I can't divulge too much information out in the open like this."

"Well, maybe - if you're willing, that is - I could get an exclusive interview with Paris' greatest superheroine?"

"Of course! I'd love that. We can do it tomorrow after school if you want."

"Sure." Alya smiled, though it was more like a grimace, and sat down with a huff next to Nino.

…

Marinette was counting down the seconds until lunch was over. She desperately wanted to get away from Lila, and she was nervous that Alya would reveal too much and accidentally let her identity as Rena Rouge slip. She understood how Alya must have been feeling. Marinette recalled when Chloè did a whole interview with Nadja Chamack posing as Ladybug, and she was mad at Chloè then, so Alya must have been _really_ pissed.

When the bell rang signifying the end of lunch, Marinette breathed a sigh of relief and hoped the day would get better. It couldn't get much worse. Adrien came back, so that was helpful. He was the only other one that knew what happened when Marinette almost got Akumatized, and she trusted him to keep it a secret.

"Hey, Marinette. What's up?" Adrien greeted her cheerfully on the way to Physics class with Mme. Mendeleiev.

"Sky." She mumbled. Adrien raised an eyebrow. "Sorry, it's just...Lila, she-"

"What did she do this time?" Adrien looked genuinely concerned.

"She said she was Rena Rouge."

Adrien thought for a moment. "Well, how do you know she isn't?"

"Well…"

"My point is, even if Lila is a compulsive liar, you still can't jump to conclusions without proof. I think she's lying about being Rena Rouge as well, but you can't judge a book by its cover."

Marinette stared at Emma, who was - thankfully - sleeping. "I thought Miraculous holders weren't supposed to share their identities with anyone."

"That's usually true. But you remember Chloè, right? She told everyone that she was Queen Bee." Adrien put his hand on Marinette's shoulder. "Try not to let her get to you too much, huh? It won't do anyone any good. Not Lila, not me, not Alya, and certainly not yourself." Marinette watched him walk down the hall until he turned a corner and she couldn't see him anymore.

She took a deep breath before starting the journey down the hall to Physics class, but she was stopped short by Lila.

"Hey, Lila." Marinette tried her best to sound cheerful.

"Marinette, we need to talk."

"Can we talk later? I don't want to be late for class."

"No." Lila snapped. "Now."

"O...kay?" Marinette was skeptical, but didn't feel like arguing with anyone right then.

"Let's go to the library so we can speak privately." Lila grabbed hold of the hand that Marinette wasn't holding Emma with and led her to the library.

"So what's up?" Marinette asked.

Lila glared at her. "You."

"Me?"

"You."

"What did I do?"

Lila pointed an accusatory finger at Marinette. "I've gotten most of your friends on my side. All but one. The one _I_ want."

"Who? Adrien?"

"Yes, Adrien. Now, I have a proposition to make." Lila grinned evilly.

"And that is…?"

"I'm sure you want to keep that baby safe. Emma, right? Well, if you stop talking to Adrien, I won't hurt a hair on Emma's little head. But, Marinette," Lila warned. "You'd better watch out. Because I know where you live."

"Horribly cliché, but okay." Marinette wanted to tell Adrien every word of what Lila just said, but she also had a duty to Chat Noir to keep Emma safe, and she couldn't risk that. So, for the time being, ties with the one friend Marinette had left were cut off.

…

Marinette moped her way through Physics, already feeling the burden of having to ignore Adrien. She had to excuse herself when Emma started crying, not once looking at Adrien on her way out the room. Geography was the same way, but it was nothing compared to last period. The last class they had that day was French Literature with Mme. Bustier. Adrien sat next to Marinette in the back now, so it was hard to resist the temptation to talk, but that wasn't the worst part.

Mme. Bustier clapped her hands together to quiet the class. "We're all familiar with the story of Cinderella. We've read it together in class, and we're going to have a project based off of it. I'll explain all the details to you tomorrow. This time, you aren't choosing partners; I have already chosen them for you.

"Okay. We have Rose and Ivan, Sabrina and Max, Chloè and Nathaniel, Kim and Alix, Nino and Mylène, Adrien and Marinette, and we will have one group of three, which will be Juleka, Alya, and Lila. Does everybody know who they will be working with?"

Marinette's eyes widened. She couldn't do a project with Adrien without talking to him. Lila turned around to face Marinette, an equally shocked expression on her face. _No._ She mouthed to Marinette.

Marinette's heart sunk. She really wanted to work with Adrien, but her eyes drifted down to Emma, who was awake now, then to Lila, and back to Adrien. She closed her eyes, hoping everything would work out, and raised her hand.

"Yes, Marinette?" Mme. Bustier said.

"Mme. Bustier, may I change groups?" Marinette swallowed, not daring to look over at Adrien.

Mme. Bustier raised an eyebrow. "Is there a problem?"

"I...I can't work with Adrien."

"Very well. I suppose you can join Juleka and Lila, and Alya will work with Adrien."

"Thank you, ma'am." Marinette's voice was gravelly, and she was on the verge of tears. She ignored making eye contact with Adrien for the remainder of class, but he caught up with her before she could go out the door to go home.

"Marinette, wait!" Adrien called to her. She _wanted_ to wait, but she was afraid Lila was watching, so she just kept walking, tears welling up in her eyes.

"Marinette!" Adrien ran after her, grabbing a hold of her arm so she couldn't get away from him. "What's wrong? Why can't you work with me on the project?" He was heartbroken, and Marinette desperately wanted to explain everything to him, but she saw Lila gathering her things, and she was keeping a close eye on them. Emma started crying again, a reminder that it was time for her nap, so Marinette just smiled apologetically at Adrien and walked off, leaving him to try to figure out what was going on.

…

Adrien was bewildered. Why wouldn't Marinette talk to him? Did it have something to do with the fact that both Lila and Marinette were late to Physics that afternoon? And Adrien could've sworn he'd seen some kind of eye contact between the two shortly before Marinette raised her hand and changed groups for the project.

Needless to say, he was in a foul mood the rest of the evening. He muddled through fencing, losing almost every match to Kagami, and couldn't concentrate on learning anything in Chinese. He tried to practice piano, but his heart wasn't in it. He had to find out what was up with Marinette.

"Plagg," The Kwami flew over to the piano bench where his chosen was sitting. "Let's go see Marinette."

Plagg groaned. "Oh, I _hate_ transforming!"

Adrien just rolled his eyes. "Plagg, cl-"

"Adrien, time for dinner." Nathalie called to him from the other side of the door.

"Uh...yeah, okay! Be there in a sec!" He lowered his voice. "Plagg, we're going right after dinner, so stock up on Camembert."

Plagg didn't have to be told twice. "See you after dinner, then!" He flew away to parts unknown to stuff himself with cheese. Adrien sighed and went downstairs to eat dinner.

As usual, his father wouldn't be joining him, as he had "other obligations", according to Nathalie. It wouldn't be the first time. Adrien had a fancy - but lonely - dinner of chicken cordon bleu and a chocolate soufflé. It would have been delicious, but it was nothing compared to, say, some good old-fashioned Dupain-Cheng pastries.

Adrien ate as fast as he could. He was anxious to get over to Marinette's house and find out what was up with her. She had been acting strange the whole afternoon. Well, ever since she was late to Physics, that is. Adrien was convinced it had something to do with that, and he was sure even if that wasn't the case, Marinette had a good reason for ignoring him.

"Plagg," Adrien whispered. Receiving no response, he tried again, a little bit louder. "Plagg, where are you?"

Plagg flew out to meet Adrien with a mouthful of Camembert. "I'm here, what's up?"

"It's time to visit the Princess. Plagg, claws out!"

"Why do you torture me soooooo!" Plagg griped, getting sucked into Adrien's Miraculous ring before he was done complaining. It would be an icy day in hell before Plagg enjoyed transforming. Come to think of it, Plagg would probably be the one to cause an icy day in hell. It seemed like the kind of thing he would do.

…

Chat Noir picked up a remote and pressed a button

to open the window. Extending his staff, he flew out of his room and landed on the roof next to the mansion. He bounded across the rooftops like his life depended on it, and he couldn't wait to see Marinette again. Chat didn't care what was going on; he just wanted her to be alright.

He touched down softly on her balcony so he wouldn't startle her. Because when Marinette was startled, she usually screamed or made a noise of some kind, and if Emma was already asleep (doubtful, but you never know), he didn't want to wake her up.

His heightened senses picked up the sound of humming from through the closed door. It was a lullaby; one his mom used to sing to him to get him to fall asleep at night. For a moment, Chat just closed his eyes and listened, imagining his mom tucking him in bed after a day of adventures they made up together. When he opened his eyes, Marinette had gotten up and placed Emma on her makeshift bed. She was finally asleep.

With a gloved hand, Chat Noir knocked gently on the trapdoor. Marinette jumped a bit, but turned around and saw her partner's Cheshire cat grin through the partition. She waved him in, putting a finger to her lips to signal that they should be quiet. Marinette didn't want to spend another hour putting a baby to sleep when she could be sleeping or watching a movie or something.

"Hey." She whispered.

"Hey. How was your day?" Chat said quietly, landing on Marinette's bed and climbing down the ladder instead of jumping so it wouldn't make too much noise.

"Awful. How about yours?"

Chat smiled brightly at her. "Don't you mean _paw_-ful?"

"No." Marinette was not amused.

Chat cleared his throat. "Well, what was so bad about it?"

Marinette sighed. "I won't bore you with the details."

"Please do. I like boring things." Chat thought for a moment. "That's not what I meant, but I'd still like to hear about it if you want to talk."

"Maybe it would help to get it off my chest." Marinette sat down on her chaise and patted the seat next to her, motioning for Chat Noir to sit down. Suddenly, she jumped up. "Oh! Wait here a moment."

She disappeared down the stairs into the apartment, only to reappear a moment later with…

Chat's ears perked up. "Are those chocolate-filled croissants?"

"Homemade. I was hoping you'd stop by." Marinette held the tray out to him, and he graciously accepted it, grabbing a warm croissant and biting into it.

"This is officially a good night. Now, tell me about your day."

"Okay. Well, there's this girl in my class named Lila…"

…

"...and that's why I'm not allowed to talk to him anymore." Marinette finished the story as Chat Noir finished his third croissant.

"I understand. I'm sorry you had to go through that."

"I even had to trade groups for a project because the teacher paired me with him. And I wanted to work with him." Marinette hugged a pillow from her chaise close to her chest.

Chat smiled to himself. He had a great idea. "I bet this Adrien dude understands too."

Marinette scoffed at him good-naturedly. "I'll take that bet."

"Really?"

"Yeah. If I win...you have to come to school with me again and we have to go through a whole day of parenting together."

"Well, that's not so bad. If I win...hmm…" Chat thought for a moment until he had a brainstorm. "If I win, you have to kiss me on the lips."

Marinette grinned and crossed her arms. "Yeah. Like you're going to win."

_Don't underestimate me,_ _Princess. _Chat thought to himself. _Looks like I'll be getting a kiss on the lips tomorrow. _"Then it's a bet." Chat held his hand out and Marinette shook it, making it official.

"I'll see you tomorrow. We should both get some sleep." Marinette's expression softened. "Thank you, Chat." She hugged him. "You're the best."

He smiled at her. "Adieu, Princess." He leaped back out onto her balcony and jumped to the nearest rooftop. The whole way home, he traveled with a spring in his step.


	9. Chapter 9

**Day 19**

The next day was nothing like the last. Marinette was severely sleep deprived, which she would claim was because of Emma, but she stayed up half the night thinking about Chat Noir and, more specifically, the bet. Would Adrien understand? She hoped so. Would she win the bet? Probably not. Would she have to kiss Chat Noir on the lips? Most likely. Would she really hate it _that_ much? No…

"Marinette!" Sabine called from the apartment downstairs. "Hurry up or you'll be late for school!"

"Coming, Maman." Marinette mumbled in response, sighing as she sat up in bed. She groaned at the unpleasant sensation of her bare feet touching the cold floor, but got up nonetheless, trying not to wake Emma, who was miraculously still asleep.

"Morning, _ma chere_. Did you sleep well?" Tom asked as his daughter sleepily trudged down the stairs.

"Morning, Papa. Yeah, I slept fine." Marinette lied. Though, she would have to argue that her lies were nowhere near as bad as Lila's. Speaking of Lila, Marinette hoped she wouldn't be back. If she wasn't there, Marinette could talk to Adrien again and try to get him to understand why she ignored him the previous day.

"What would you like for breakfast?" Sabine asked.

"Just some cereal or something. Nothing special."

…

Twenty minutes later, Marinette was on her way to school with the usual haul: Emma, her backpack full of half-finished homework that she would complete before class started, a bag of toys, diapers, a bottle and some formula for Emma, and a half-eaten croissant that Tom gave her before she left (he insisted a bowl of cereal wasn't enough of a breakfast).

Marinette walked up the steps of Collège Françoise Dupont to find everyone crowded around something, or someone. Upon closer inspection, the majority of Mme. Bustier's class was crowded around a sobbing Lila, including Mme. Bustier herself.

"Marinette, is there something you'd like to say to Lila?"

"What's going on, ma'am?" Marinette asked as courteously as possible.

"I think you owe her an apology." Alya strutted up to Marinette, hands on her hips.

"W-what? Why?" Marinette was utterly confused.

"As if you didn't know." Alya turned around and went back to Lila.

Marinette protested. "I don't! Really! What's happening?"

Kim walked up to her. "She told us why the two of you were late to Physics yesterday."

Marinette knew whatever Lila said, it couldn't be the truth. "What did she tell you guys?"

Lila pretended to dry her eyes. "I told them the truth." Turning to the rest of the class, she continued. "Marinette called me a liar and threatened to hurt me if I talked to Adrien because she's in love with him." Lila stretched out the last few words, adding salt to the wound.

Marinette looked around, horrified at seeing everyone's angry faces directed towards her. Adrien, she realized, didn't look as angry as he did disappointed, or perhaps just upset. Marinette wanted to rectify the situation, but there was no way to do that without talking to Adrien. Finding no alternative, she quickly walked away, hiding herself in the empty girls' room.

She threw her bags on the floor, one arm cradling Emma. "How did she know I was in love with Adrien?" Marinette spoke, mostly to herself. "And now Adrien knows! He's going to hate me forever and I'll have no one to talk to at all! Not that I'm allowed to talk to Adrien right now anyway, but even if I was, I couldn't."

Tikki poked her head out of Marinette's purse. "It will all be okay, Marinette. But you can't let Lila win. If you back out now, it might get worse!"

"You're right, Tikki. I'm going to show them what I'm made of." Marinette was determined to beat Lila once and for all. Even if she didn't have any friends, even if no one believed her, she had to make sure that Lila didn't win at her little game. She pranced out of the bathroom and back to the crowd.

"Oh, look. She's back." Alya said arrogantly. "Better watch out, Lila. The little liar is back."

Marinette was fuming now, but she wasn't about to give Lila the satisfaction. She could see the deceitful look on that Italian snob's face, ready and waiting for Marinette to break. Lila had turned almost everyone against her rival, including her very best friend, Alya. The only person who refused to cooperate was Adrien, and Lila could blame Ladybug for that. That one wasn't Marinette's fault.

The bell rang. "Oh, we need to get upstairs to class. We didn't have as much time as I would have liked yesterday, and I need to give you all the directions for the project." Mme. Bustier instantly went into teacher mode, ushering the students upstairs. Lila and Marinette were at the back of the line, and Lila took advantage of that.

"I'm not done with you, Marinette Dupain-Cheng." She whispered menacingly in Marinette's ear.

Adrien lagged behind a bit so he could talk to Marinette, who was rocking a whimpering Emma. "I know you're not speaking to me, Marinette, but I have a feeling it's because of Lila. Am I right?" Marinette opened her mouth to say something, but her gaze met Lila's, and she only nodded in response.

"I thought so." Adrien said pensively. "I understand."

Marinette smiled at him, but her expression turned serious when she thought about the two words he said. _I understand._

"_I understand. I'm sorry you had to go through that."_

"_I bet this Adrien dude understands too."_

"_If I win...hmm...if I win, you have to kiss me on the lips."_

Dammit, Adrien. Well...losing the bet wasn't _such_ a terrible tragedy. Marinette had kissed Chat on the lips before. He didn't know that, of course, but she had nonetheless.

"Is everything okay, Marinette?" Adrien asked knowingly. She smiled and nodded, walking into Mme. Bustier's classroom and taking her seat in the back row with Adrien.

The rest of the day was about as bad as the last. A few idle threats from Lila, some glares from assorted ex-friends, you know, the usual. Remarkably, Emma only cried twice during the day, a welcome excuse to remove herself from Physics, and later, Geography. Adrien didn't push Marinette to talk anymore because he knew she couldn't, so that made her day a bit easier, but she found her eyes wandering back to Adrien's shoes, struggling to remember if those were the same shoes Chat Noir wore.

But Adrien _couldn't_ be Chat Noir. He just..._couldn't. _The two of them were completely different, even their hair and eyes were different. Adrien rarely missed a day of school, so it was out of the ordinary to have him miss an entire day, especially on the day Chat Noir came with her. Just a coincidence, though. Marinette was sure of it.

Towards the end of the day, there was a big ruckus in the hall. Alya was interviewing Lila - or rather "Rena Rouge" - after school, and everybody wanted to be there for it.

"Why don't we meet in the courtyard, Lila?" Alya suggested, a faux innocent expression on her face.

"That sounds great, Alya! I love trading secrets with you, and I think it will make everyone more at ease if they know who Rena Rouge is." Lila smiled nauseatingly.

Marinette could see Alya's knuckles going white from the vice grip she had on her phone. She was sure something would break, but she didn't know if it would be the phone or Alya herself. Either one was certainly a possibility at this point. Marinette was sure that Alya had finally figured out the truth. It might take a while to get back to best friend status with her, but Alya was undeniably a person you did not want as your enemy.

A whole crowd of people was following Lila and Alya out to the courtyard for the big interview. Marinette might have joined them, but she had to take care of a crying baby. She sighed melancholily and began to leave, but a hand on her shoulder stopped her.

It was Adrien. Who else? "Hey, Marinette! Can I walk you home? I don't really want to listen to that interview."

Marinette plastered a stupidly obsessed grin on her face. "M-me? Home? Y-yeah, I'd love you. I mean, I'd love to. Do that. I'd love that, Adrien." _Sigh._ Back to square one.

Adrien's eyes sparkled a fascinating green in the natural light that drifted into the building. "Awesome!" The two made their way out of the building and down the steps, an awkward silence building up. It was quiet except for Emma crying, a sound that wasn't any better than silence.

Adrien rubbed the back of his neck nervously. "H-hey, Marinette? Do you mind if I hold her? I've never really held a baby before."

"Never?" Marinette was astounded. "By all means." She gently handed Emma to Adrien, who tenderly cradled her in his arms with wide eyes. Marinette suppressed a giggle. The genuinely delighted look on his face was remarkably similar to the look on Chat Noir's face when she brought him a tray of croissants the previous night. If every superhero has a weakness, Chat Noir's is chocolate-filled croissants.

By the time they reached the door of the Dupain-Cheng patisserie, Emma's crying had slowed to a whimper before coming to a stop. Adrien carefully handed Emma over to Marinette, whose smile had not diminished from the moment Adrien asked to walk her home.

Sabine greeted the two at the door with a cheerful smile. "Hello, Adrien! It's so nice to see you again. Won't you stay for a while?"

"Oh, thank you, but I can't. I have fencing practice in half an hour, and my bodyguard is waiting outside to take me home." Adrien reluctantly declined the invitation. He loved spending time with Marinette's parents, especially if Marinette was with them, of course.

"Why don't you save him a trip and invite him in as well? Fencing practice is right across the street at school, after all." Sabine was persistent, Adrien had to admit.

Adrien beamed. "I suppose asking him wouldn't hurt." He all but ran out the door, motioning for his bodyguard to roll down the window. "Do you want to come inside? I've been invited to stay here until fencing." The Gorilla shook his head, but there was a trace of a smile tugging at his lips.

"May I stay?" The Gorilla nodded and rolled up the window, signaling that Adrien could go back inside. The hell with his job. Adrien deserved a break once in a while.

When Adrien came back inside, Marinette was sitting at a chair feeding Emma. There was down time in the afternoon after the lunch rush and before dinner, with only the occasional customer drifting in for a croissant or some macarons. There were no special orders to prepare; no rush of people waiting to be served. It was just a lazy Friday afternoon.

"My bodyguard gave me permission to stay until I have to go to fencing. Thank you for offering!" Adrien was gracious because he rarely got any time to relax, plus he liked Marinette's house much more than his own.

"It's no problem, really." Sabine said. "Tom, we've got company!" A moment later, a tall, sturdily built man that Adrien recognized as Tom Dupain emerged from the back room.

"Ahaha! Adrien, right? It's wonderful to see you!" Tom embraced Adrien tightly. It may have been a bit awkward, but it was more love than Adrien had received from his father in the past two years. Fourteen, actually. Adrien's father seldom spoke to him, even when he was a child, and it was even more uncommon to get any display of physical affection from him. Adrien could count on his fingers the number of times his father hugged him in his memory.

"Yeah! It's great to see you, too."

"Can I get you anything? Marinette just made some strawberry macarons. They're delicious! You should try one."

"Okay." Adrien loved pastries; that was no secret.

"Papa!" Marinette cried out, visibly and audibly embarrassed by her father. Tom Dupain was eccentric, but Adrien found it somewhat amusing, especially when Marinette got annoyed by his antics.

…

The whole class had gathered (minus Marinette and Adrien) to watch Alya interview the self-proclaimed Rena Rouge. Alya was determined to get to the bottom of the whole fiasco and reveal Ladybug's back-handed gifts to the whole of Paris. They took seats in the courtyard; Alya already had a list of questions she wanted to ask.

Alya opened her camera and began filming. "Hey, Ladyblog viewers! I've got a huge scoop today. With us, we have Lila Rossi, also known as Rena Rouge! You've probably seen her around before. So Lila, everyone is dying to know how you got your Miraculous."

Lila put on a big smile for the camera; the most genuine one she could muster. "I'm actually the original Miraculous holder. I gave Ladybug a Miraculous because I needed some backup, and we became best friends. I don't know how she got her hands on the Cat Miraculous, though. All the power kind of went to her head, to be honest."

"Lila - I mean, Rena Rouge - if you're the original Miraculous holder, why do we only see Ladybug and Chat Noir most of the time? I mean, we've only seen you recently."

"Ladybug and I were superheroes in other parts of France and throughout Europe. We saved people in Rome, Venice, Versailles; all over the place, really. Then we split up after hearing about Hawk Moth: Ladybug went to Paris and recruited Chat Noir, and I did my thing in other cities." Lila lied fluently.

"I see." Alya said. "So does that mean you know Ladybug's identity? If you gave her a Miraculous, you must, right?"

"Yes, I do. But I'm sworn to secrecy. I wish I could tell you all because you know my identity now, but it's still a carefully guarded secret."

"And if Ladybug recruited Chat Noir, does she know his identity as well?"

"Yes, she does."

Alya racked her brain for another question. She wasn't done digging up dirt on Ladybug. "Everyone thought Ladybug and Chat Noir were best friends, since they're so close. What do you think about that? After all, you're Ladybug's best friend, right?"

Lila was prepared for this. She had an answer that would hopefully break up Ladybug and Chat Noir's little partnership. "In all honesty, Ladybug doesn't even like Chat Noir. She always goes on and on about how annoying and useless he is. He's just a sidekick in her eyes. He's not her best friend. According to Ladybug, Chat Noir doesn't even make the top ten."

There was a collective gasp from the various students watching. They were taken aback by this news. Ladybug and Chat Noir had always seemed so friendly with each other, but Lila made it sound like Ladybug barely tolerated her partner. This was news to Alya as well. She had spent a good year shipping Ladynoir and romanticizing every little thing they did. Well, that was over for her. All she wanted to do now was warn Chat Noir about his conniving partner.

"What about the Turtle and Bee Miraculous holders? Do you know them as well?" Alya was getting to the part she wanted to hear about the most.

Lila hoped what she was saying sounded believable. "I do. I actually gave them Miraculouses before I gave one to Ladybug. I don't know how Chloè got her hands on the Bee, though. Ladybug must have borrowed it to give to her, the same way she borrowed the Turtle from my friend and let someone else use it."

"Did she ever borrow yours? The Fox, I mean." Alya was curious and furious now. She felt betrayed at best.

"No…Well, now that you mention it, yes. She did borrow it a couple times a few months ago. I saw someone else using it to defeat a couple of villains. Then there was the day she borrowed all three. That was on Heroes' Day, I believe. She gave all of them to rookies. If Ladybug fought with trained Miraculous holders, Hawk Moth would have been defeated by now. Between you and me, she never has been the best at making decisions."

Alya decided to write Ladybug a long letter on the Ladyblog when this was over. Now, it was time to get the rest of it done.

"So, Lila. What's it like to be a superhero?"

…

The next thirty minutes were full of idle talk, laughter, warm feelings, and warm cookies. Adrien really enjoyed the time he spent with the Dupain-Chengs, and Tom and Sabine said they were more than welcome to have him over again. Sadly, the time passed quickly, and before Adrien knew it, it was time to go to fencing practice.

Sabine insisted he take a bag of freshly baked chocolate chip cookies to his bodyguard before he left. The Gorilla was more than happy to receive the gift. Adrien hadn't known him to have a sweet tooth, but it might have been the first time he saw his bodyguard genuinely excited about something. Adrien thought it was kind of silly to get a ride across the street, but according to Nathalie, it was a safety precaution.

Fencing practice passed, then Adrien went home. He had a lonely, unmemorable dinner in the gargantuan dining hall of the Agreste mansion. He actually practiced piano for once, which was probably good; he was getting a little rusty. It was an otherwise quiet night. No Akuma attacks, no robberies or newsworthy crimes. So Adrien resorted to his usual activities during the rarity that was his free time: he went to the Ladyblog.

Adrien had it bookmarked on his Internet browser, and it was in his top three most visited sites. He was a frequent visitor, usually for any new villain reports and new pictures of Ladybug. He found the interview that Alya had done with Lila, and refrained from clicking on it, seeing that he had no real interest in watching it. Scrolling down a bit, he found a long post written by Alya entitled: **Why I'm done idolizing Ladybug**_._ Unlike the interview, that caught Adrien's eye.

…

Marinette also had a pretty _blah_ night as nights go. She had dinner, did her homework, sketched some designs, and put Emma to sleep. She was tired and spiritless, and when she was bored, she too went to the Ladyblog. She watched part of the interview, but found she couldn't make it past the part about Lila claiming Chat Noir was nothing but a sidekick without wanting to shatter every piece of her computer against the wall and scream at the top of her lungs. Marinette was ready to click away and play a game or something, but the headline as the bottom of the screen made her scroll down.

"'Why I'm done idolizing Ladybug?'" Marinette read the title out loud. It was a long article, but she read it anyway.

**Why I'm done idolizing Ladybug**

Hey, Ladybloggers. It's Alya. I was Ladybug's biggest fan for a long time, but that is quickly coming to a close after certain revelations from my interview with Lila. We all thought Ladybug was sweet, innocent, brave, kind, etc., but we were _so_ wrong. If you didn't watch the interview, I'll sum it up for you.

First of all, Lila was the original Miraculous holder and the original superhero. Ladybug (in civilian form) was Rena Rouge's partner for a while, at least until Hawk Moth showed up. When that happened, Ladybug took her business to Paris and got her hands on the Cat Miraculous so she could recruit a partner.

Something I'd like to bring to light is Ladybug's behavior. She acts friendly around Chat Noir, but she hates him. According to Lila, Ladybug thinks Chat Noir is annoying and useless, among other things. When Lila came to Paris to see how Ladybug was handling things, Ladybug totally blew her off, humiliated her in front of a guy, and called her a liar. Well, in all reality, Ladybug is the one we all need to watch out for.

There are permanent Bee, Fox, and Turtle Miraculous holders, and they're not the ones we've seen around helping Ladybug. Oh, no. Ladybug borrows the Miraculouses from the real superheroes and gives them to rookies to help her, simply because she wants to be the leader and doesn't like Rena's team. Chat Noir, Chloè Bourgeois and the other two civilians that use the Miraculouses are part of Ladybug's team, not Lila's.

In light of this, we all need to be more careful who we trust. Sometimes things aren't always what they seem to be, and Ladybug is a perfect example of that. When she first showed up in Paris, she saved people's lives and became - unquestionably - one of the most popular people in Paris. We all trusted her every day without knowing who she truly is, but there's no reason to believe that she's not - I don't know - in cahoots with Hawk Moth or something.

Another thing I'd like to say is…

Marinette couldn't read anymore. The words began to blur together as tears filled her eyes. Not only had Lila turned Alya away from Marinette, but Ladybug as well. She quickly dried her eyes, still determined to get Lila once and for all, and made a decision.

"I think I need to stage an intervention with Alya. As Ladybug. What do you think, Tikki?"

Tikki flew up to Marinette's desk. "I think you should."

"Okay. I'll do it tomorrow."

…

By the time Adrien finished reading Alya's article, he was fuming. Lila had pulled one over on everyone, and he could only imagine how Ladybug would feel if she read the post. Adrien was fully aware that Ladybug didn't like Lila, but this was grounds for getting Akumatized. He sat moping for a while, considering his options.

Plagg noticed his chosen's brooding and decided to try his best to cheer him up. "Hey, Adrien. Didn't you win that bet you made with Pigtails yesterday?"

"Hm? Oh, yeah." It finally occurred to Adrien what Plagg was saying. "Oh! Yeah! I better go collect my prize. Plagg, claws out!"

Within seconds, Chat Noir was on the rooftops, going faster than he had ever thought possible, but he had the proper motivation. He was ready to get what he deserved for winning the bet. Okay, so perhaps he had a bit of an advantage, but that just meant the odds were in his favor.

He landed not-so-gracefully on Marinette's balcony, almost knocking a potted plant down to the sidewalk in his haste. Luckily, he had quick reflexes, so he caught it, but it didn't go unnoticed by Marinette.

"Hey, Chat. Come on in." She opened the trapdoor for him and went back inside to her desk.

"Good evening. And how is my Princess on this lovely day?"

Marinette sighed. "Fine." It was then that Chat Noir noticed her computer open to the Ladyblog and scrolled down to Alya's most recent article.

"I saw that too." Chat Noir said, leaning on the desk.

Marinette inwardly cringed. "Even the part about what Ladybug supposedly said about you?"

"Oh, yeah. The whole shebang."

"I'm so sorry, Chat."

"It's really not your fault." The tension between them grew, and Chat figured he needed to lighten the mood a bit. "Did you make any progress with the bet?"

Marinette smirked and flicked the bell on his collar. "I'm sure you're just _dying _to know."

"The suspense is killing me, Princess." Chat placed the back of his hand to his forehead melodramatically. "Please, I beg you, tell me before I lose one of my nine lives."

Marinette laughed. "Well, if you put it that way, I guess I have to tell you." She sighed, but there was a smile on her face. "Yeah, okay. You won the bet."

Chat grinned giddily. "Really? And what was my prize exactly? I can't recall."

"Oh, you know."

"No, really. I don't remember." He teased.

Marinette rolled her eyes and strode up to him. "Then let me refresh your memory." She had a way to beat Chat Noir at his own game. He was expecting a peck on the lips at most, but Marinette had other plans. She cupped his chin in her hands and kissed him full on the mouth for at least ten seconds, much to Chat's surprise.

She moved her arms from his face and slung them around his neck, while he placed his hands on her hips like they were slow dancing. When she pulled back, the two of them were both breathing heavily. They rested their foreheads together so their noses were touching at the tips, their breaths mixing as they struggled to normalize their heartbeats.

Marinette spoke again, her voice barely a whisper. "I guess you won, huh?"

"I sure did, Princess." Chat Noir hugged her tight, lingering in the warmth of her body. "It's pretty late. I should go."

"Yeah." Neither one made an effort to let go. Seconds passed, turning into minutes before the embrace ended and Chat Noir flirtatiously bowed before Marinette, planting a kiss on the back of her hand.

"Well, I'm sure you have important things to do." Marinette said. "You know, damsels in distress, people to save."

Chat Noir winked at her. "You're the only damsel I want to see right now, but alas, you're right. See you soon." He made his way up to her balcony, blowing her a secret kiss after she turned her back. Marinette couldn't wipe the smile or the dusky rose blush off her face for the rest of the night, and every time she thought of Chat Noir, newly found affection filled the air.


	10. Chapter 10

**Day 18**

Marinette lingered in bed for a few extra minutes, thinking over the speech she had come up with for Alya the previous night. Upon hearing that Marinette was going to hang out with Alya that afternoon, Sabine immediately offered to watch Emma. She knew that Alya and Marinette hadn't been spending much time together, and with life as busy as it always was, it was nice for the two of them to get a chance to catch up outside of school.

What Sabine didn't know, however, was that Ladybug was going to be the one hanging out with Alya, not Marinette. Alya had made it fairly clear that she wanted nothing to do with Marinette, and the least Marinette could do was respect that decision. If Alya wanted to be a bitch about it, so be it. Marinette wouldn't be the one to stop her.

But to be allowed to go out that afternoon, she had to help make and sell pastries during the Saturday morning rush, a murderous couple of hours. Their stock included croissants - regular and filled with various fruit purées or chocolate, macarons with dozens of flavors and decorations, too many kinds of cookies and cakes to count, eclairs, petit fours, viennoiserie, vol-au-vent, baguettes, chouquettes, and so much more. With so many options, it wasn't surprising that they were one of the most visited patisseries in Paris.

Marinette was in charge of making and decorating macarons and filling croissants if they were supposed to be flavored, plus taking care of any tantrums or needs that Emma might have. Luckily, nobody had called in a huge order that they wanted ready for pick-up later that day, so they focused on making fresh pastries like they did every morning. Marinette made it pretty clear to her parents that although she enjoyed baking, she wouldn't make it a family business or anything. Her heart was in fashion.

After the lunch rush, Tom, Sabine, and Marinette sat down at the table exhausted and grateful for a break. Sabine stood up with a sigh and grabbed a cloth to go wipe down the machines that got the most use so they would be ready to go later.

"Does anyone want some lunch?" Tom offered. "I can go fix something."

Marinette stood and gave Tom a peck on the cheek. "No thanks, Papa. I'm going to grab some lunch with Alya." That was a lie, of course, but Marinette figured the sooner she could talk to Alya the better.

"Have fun, dear. And be home for dinner!" Sabine called to Marinette from the back room where she was scrubbing at a spot of dried dough on the mixer.

Marinette smiled. "Thank you, Maman!" She paused. "Are you sure it's alright to leave Emma here with you?"

"Yes, yes. Of course. Now go on and have fun with Alya. Tell her I said hello!"

"I will, Maman." Another lie. "Goodbye!" Marinette pushed open the patisserie door, triggering the chime of the familiar bell, and rushed off to find a safe place where she could transform. Coming across an abandoned alley, she ducked inside, ensuring no one could see her. It was a haphazard thing to do, but it wasn't like Marinette had many other choices.

"Okay, Tikki." The Kwami flew up to a hovering position in front of Marinette. "It's time to go find Alya. Tikki, spots on!" Marinette should have realized from the get-go that she wasn't physically or mentally prepared for any of what she was about to do, but screw that. Since when did she care?

Now Ladybug, she wrapped her yo-yo around a street lamp and swung up to the rooftop of the house two down from the patisserie. She began running towards Alya's house (she knew the way very well), but she didn't have to go all the way there because she found Alya walking down the sidewalk a few blocks from the Césaire residence. Using her yo-yo as a propeller to break her fall, Ladybug landed on the ground a few feet in front of Alya.

"Hey, Alya." Ladybug said timidly, waving at the girl, who just stared back.

"What are you doing here?" Alya crossed her arms, obviously not interested in what Ladybug had to say to her.

"Listen. I know you're angry with me. I read your post on the Ladyblog. But please, just give me ten minutes of your time to talk to you." Ladybug pleaded with her ex-best friend.

Alya merely let out a sigh of boredom. "Can you do it in five? I was on my way somewhere when you interrupted me."

"Where were you going?" Ladybug asked, purely out of habit.

"I don't see how it's any of _your_ business whatsoever, but if you must know, I was going to Place des Vosges Square to see Rena Rouge - I mean, Lila."

Yep. Ladybug definitely wasn't ready for this. "I'll try to make this as short as possible, but I really need you to hear what I'm going to say to you. Will you at least listen if I talk to you?"

"I...suppose it wouldn't hurt to listen. Fine. Start talking."

"Okay. Well, for starters, I really need you to trust me. If anyone besides Chat Noir, Carapace, and Queen Bee trust me, I really need it to be you."

"Why? Because I run the Ladyblog and it hurts your reputation if I diss you online?"

Ladybug inhaled deeply. "Alya, trust is a two-way street. I wouldn't have given you a Miraculous if I didn't believe wholeheartedly that you wouldn't let me down. And you didn't. The Ladyblog is a great resource for me, as well as Chat Noir. Many times, neither of us know about a villain until we hear about it on your blog. I know I personally get notifications when you post something so I know right away if there's a problem.

"What Lila told you in the interview is mostly false information. She was not the original Miraculous holder, we were never friends in real life or as superheroes because she doesn't know my identity, and she didn't give me a Miraculous. I would tell you a secret, but I don't know that I can trust you anymore."

Alya looked hurt. "I thought you trusted me!"

"And I thought _you_ trusted _me_!" A silence fell between the two of them for a moment, neither one daring to make eye contact with the other. After a few seconds, Ladybug broke the silence.

"Look. Alya, you were there the first time I fought with my superpowers. You saw how clumsy I was! I stood there while Chat Noir practically got his tail ripped off because I was freaking out. From _anyone's_ perspective I probably looked like a newbie! Besides, just because I'm not dating Chat Noir doesn't mean I hate him, and he's _anything_ but useless. Chat Noir is one of my best friends, and I wouldn't trade him for anyone, certainly not Lila." Ladybug explained.

"So...you don't know Chat's identity then?" Alya asked. Ladybug couldn't help but smile a little.

"No, I don't. Not yet, at least."

Alya paused in pensive thought. "Why shouldn't I believe Lila?"

"What do you mean?"

"You said most of what Lila told me was 'false information.'" Alya made air quotes for emphasis. "Why should I believe you and not her?"

Ladybug sighed, trying to come up with a valid way to explain that Lila was a lying bitch without saying it like that. "Uh...okay, well for one thing, you and I have been friends a lot longer than Lila has been in the picture. It seems like you're willing to believe anything she says without checking with me."

"Why should I have to check with you? It's not like you're my mom or anything!" Alya jabbed a finger at Ladybug.

"Lila is a compulsive liar! It's in her nature to...stretch the truth most of the time without thinking twice. She has never used a Miraculous, and if I have anything to say about it, she _never_ will!"

Alya adjusted her glasses. "You gave _Chloè _a Miraculous."

Ladybug mentally reminded herself why Chloè had a Miraculous in the first place. "Yeah, that's true. But Chloè is something that Lila isn't."

"And what might that be?" Alya implored, genuinely curious.

"Honest. Brutally honest, perhaps, but still honest."

"I can't really argue with that one."

"Chloè...I can trust her. She idolizes me, Alya, and she would never lie to me. Lila got Akumatized three times because she hated me. It's very different."

Alya's voice dropped. "I thought you were best friends." It was more of a question than a statement.

"I...that was my fault. I wouldn't be a superhero if I wasn't able to admit my mistakes, and I completely overreacted when I met Lila."

"What happened?"

"Can I trust you?"

Alya thought for a moment. "Yeah. No more lies, I promise."

Ladybug grinned. "Good. Well then, I'll be honest. I could see from a mile away that Lila was crushing on Adrien and using her fake Miraculous to impress him. I'd be totally lying if I said I wasn't...a little bit jealous."

Alya raised an eyebrow. "Are you crushing on Adrien? 'Cause I'm like, a second away from recording this whole thing if you are."

"Okay, yeah, that's not the point of this conversation. Anyway, I really went overboard when I saw the whole thing. I went up to Lila and totally called her out, and I could tell it really embarrassed her. I should have apologized and stopped the whole feud then and there, but I didn't. That was one hundred percent my fault. All of this, actually."

Another awkward moment of silence followed until Alya shyly looked up and met Ladybug's gaze. "Hey. I just wanted to apologize for this whole thing. Now everyone thinks you're the bad guy."

"It's not your fault. Just be more careful what you believe next time."

"Right. I'll be sure to verify my sources. But...Ladybug?"

"Hm?"

"Why don't Nino or Chloè or I get to keep the Miraculouses?"

"I guess if I can trust you, I can tell you what I was going to say before." Ladybug decided. "There's this guy who is the Guardian of the Miraculous. He's the one that gave me the earrings and Chat Noir his ring. Because Hawk Moth is out to get the Miraculous jewels, it's too dangerous to leave any of them out in the open for too long."

"Makes sense. But how do you decide when you need help?"

"When I use my Lucky Charm, sometimes it gives me a clue that leads me to the Guardian. If I get one like that, I know I need to go get another Miraculous."

"How do you choose which one to get?" A simple conversation with Alya had quickly turned into an interview.

"It depends on what power I'm likely to need and who's the most willing to help. For example, the day your sisters were Akumatized, the Mirage was key in defeating the Sapotis, and you were ready to help me take them down. When your older sister turned into Anansi, I needed a protective Miraculous so I could destroy the Arc de Triomphe without hurting anyone, and Nino happened to want to save you."

"What about Chloè? I still don't get why you let her help you. Plus, the first time she used her Miraculous, she got Akumatized, but you still gave it back to her."

Ladybug laughed nervously. "Yeah, that one was kind of my fault also."

Alya raised an eyebrow. "How was that your fault?"

"I don't know if you remember this or not, but when I was trying to defeat Style Queen, I wanted to give you the Bee Miraculous. Well, I couldn't do that when you got turned into a glitter statue, but then I...accidentally dropped it off the side of the Eiffel Tower and Chloè found it so…"

Alya was incredulous. "You lost a Miraculous?"

"That's totally beside the point here!" Ladybug protested. "I needed her to help me defeat Malediktator after Chat Noir got transformed into a cat!"

Alya blinked, bewildered. "I missed that one."

"Well, with her Venom, we were able to immobilize Malediktator and free the Akuma. She really wanted to prove herself and help me out. Once she figured out she could trust me and tell me the truth about what happened, I knew I could trust her enough to let her use a Miraculous."

"Lila totally went behind my back, then, huh?" Alya looked ashamed.

"Yeah. She hated me and she figured since you ran the most popular blog about me, she could get close to you and get you to say bad things about me for everyone to see."

"Ugh! That bitch! Just wait until Monday. I'll show her-"

"Yeah, okay. Just calm down." Ladybug placed a hand on Alya's shoulder, restraining her from doing something stupid. The way her hands curled into fists when she thought of how Lila deceived her made Ladybug nervous for Lila's safety. When Alya got mad, she got _mad_.

Alya took a deep breath, but her temper was still flaring. "I swear to God, Lila is going to get her comeuppance if it's the last thing I ever do!"

"That's fine. Just don't do anything foolish, okay? I don't want to be at fault for your actions, so don't say I didn't warn you." Remembering Adrien's words, Ladybug added, "Making a bad guy suffer has never turned them into a good guy."

"I guess so." Alya settled down a bit, but Ladybug was fully aware that she wouldn't be fully alright until Lila got a piece of her mind. And possibly a fist. In all honesty, physical violence wasn't Alya's thing, but _verbal_ violence? She was an expert in that field.

"Alright. I'm glad we got that cleared up. I'll see you around, Alya!" Ladybug turned to leave, but Alya stopped her, placing a hand on her shoulder.

"Hey...Ladybug?"

"Yeah?"

"Thanks. And...I'm sorry all of this happened." Alya hugged herself, voice barely a whisper at this point, a drastic change from the rage-filled tone she used before.

Ladybug smiled faintly. "Hey, it's not your fault. But thanks for listening."

Alya checked her phone and grinned. "It was more than five minutes."

"Well, I won't keep you any longer. You go hang out with Lila."

Lila crossed her arms. "Are you insane? That bitch? No way. I'm going back home."

Ladybug giggled. "That's probably wise. I have things to do anyway, so I'll see you."

"Yeah. See you." Alya practically sprinted back to her house to update the Ladyblog. For the remainder of the afternoon, she wrote a follow-up article to her previous post.

…

Ladybug ducked back into an alley about three blocks from the patisserie and transformed back into Marinette. Tikki flew out of her earring and Marinette caught her in her hands, still smiling from her encounter with Alya.

"That went well!" Tikki congratulated her chosen for handling the situation without losing her temper.

"It really did! I don't know about Alya, though…"

"What do you mean?"

Marinette bit her lip. "What do you think she might do to Lila on Monday?" She asked reluctantly, afraid of the answer.

"I'm sure everything will work out, Marinette. Have faith in Alya."

Marinette smiled, though she was still nervous on the inside, and began the walk back to the patisserie. Minutes later, she pushed open the door and the bell chimed. Seeing a long line of people waiting to be served and no one staffing the register, Marinette quickly grabbed an apron and went to work.

"Good evening, Nadja. What can I get you?"

"Hi, Marinette. It's Alec's birthday down at the station tomorrow, and…"

…

Rush hour over and customers all served, Sabine, Tom, and Marinette wiped down their various machines, utensils, and hands, sighing in relief. Another day done. Marinette went into the back room, spotting a sleeping Emma on the table, and figured it best to leave her alone for the time being and head to her room.

She sighed, flopping in her desk chair and moving her computer mouse to wake up the screen. In the midst of the Adrien faces, there is an alert from the Ladyblog. _New Post: Please disregard my last post! Ladybug is still my idol and I love her!_ Secretly smiling, Marinette opened the Ladyblog in a new tab and began reading the new article.

**Please disregard my last post! Ladybug is still my idol and I love her!**

Hey, Ladybloggers! I'm back. If you watched my interview and read my post about it, you might think I've changed my tune. Well, I'll enlighten you. What Lila said in that interview was a total pack of lies. She is not Rena Rouge, she is not Ladybug's friend, and she is _definitely_ not mine! I'm sorry for every mean thing I said about Ladybug because I didn't mean a word of it. Ladybug also loves Chat Noir (as a friend, of course), and she thinks he is anything _but_ useless.

I want to clear some things up. First of all, I…

Marinette drifted off to sleep before she could finish reading the post, all other responsibilities forgotten. Luckily, the next day was Sunday, so she didn't have to worry about any homework. However, Lila was getting bored, and there was no way she could manage to wait until Monday to plan her next move. Besides, Alya had skipped meeting her in the park with no explanation. Lila needed to know where she stood.


	11. Chapter 11

**Author's Notes: Hey! I'm back. I know it's been a few days, but I'm still trying to update more often. In this chapter (and any other chapters with loosely used Lila's P.O.V.), I'm using the popular theory that the news reporter Clara Contard is Lila's mother, so if you're wondering why I used the name Clara, now you know :)**

**Sorry that this one is kind of a filler chapter, but I didn't know what drama I could cause on a Sunday. I promise the next one will be more interesting!**

**Day 17**

Lila woke up completely unrested, but there was still a fire in her heart. She stayed up half the night tossing and turning, just wishing Hawk Moth would Akumatize her again so she could take out both Marinette and Ladybug. She didn't know why Alya didn't show up at Place des Vosges the previous afternoon, but she was positive it had something to do with one of her rivals.

She stomped out of her room and into their "kitchen", if it could really be called that. Only weeks prior they had moved into the cheapest apartment they could find - which wasn't cheap in downtown Paris - and it came unfurnished. Lila didn't want to settle down too much because she was afraid they might have to pack up and move again, so she limited the personal things she kept in her room, excluding a few pictures and a large poster by the side of her bed.

The kitchen had a fold-out table and a cheap, plasticky tablecloth. There were two folding chairs on either side, in case they had guests, which wasn't often unless Nadja Chamack or Alec Cataldi came over to talk business with Clara. There were cupboards built into the wall where they kept a sparse selection of dishes and utensils. Usually they just used paper plates, because Clara had very little time to do household chores, as she was usually at the news station or at an embassy meeting, but there was no way she would make Lila clean the house.

Her daughter had made it very clear that she disliked moving so much, so Clara did her best to make it as comfortable as possible. She figured out fast that Lila preferred to be left alone, because although it was upsetting to Clara, Lila was a teenage girl who had a boyfriend, so the least Clara could do was give her the privacy she wanted.

"Good morning, _mia bella_." Clara greeted Lila with a kiss on the forehead before taking another sip of her coffee. Lila appeared to be in a worse mood than usual that particular morning, and Clara was immediately upset that she had offered to fill in for Nadja that day and she couldn't stay home with her daughter.

Nadja had a legitimate reason, though. Manon was sick, and Nadja wasn't comfortable with leaving her daughter with a babysitter while she went down to the station, so she called Clara, who was nice enough to be the main reporter for the day, but she regretted that now.

"Will you be alright here while I go to work, my love?" Clara brushed a long lock of Lila's hair back.

"Yeah, Mom." Lila trudged across the room and opened a cupboard, retrieving a box of cereal and slamming it on the table with a _thud_. She went to the fridge and got out a bottle of milk from the top shelf, forcefully setting it down on the table as well, causing one of its legs to wobble a bit. Clara winced, wondering which would break first: the table or her daughter.  
Looking at the clock, Clara realized it was time to leave. She gave her daughter one last look of motherly love and a hair tousle - which Lila didn't appreciate and began smoothing her tangled hair with her fingers - before heading out the door and locking it behind her.

Paris wasn't the safest city to move to with Hawk Moth and all that, but Lila seemed to be doing well at Collège Françoise Dupont. In the first few weeks there, she had gotten herself a boyfriend - a famous model, no less - and although she hadn't gone out with friends much, Lila had recently started talking about a girl named Alya who seemed to be a good friend of hers.

Lila ate her breakfast in silence, scheming to get back at Marinette and Ladybug, and possibly Alya. But Lila decided she would give Alya a second chance. After all, she had no definite proof that Alya had switched sides except for the post on the Ladyblog. Besides, Alya was a vital source of information for Lila.

When they met up as Place des Vosges, they usually talked about random things, but Lila would shift the conversation over to Marinette. Alya was more than willing to talk about her crazy ex-friend. This way, Lila now knew about Marinette's obsessive crush on Adrien - down to knowing his full schedule to the minute - among other things, like the fact that she knew Jagged Stone and had designed an album cover for him.

One time, Alya had said that Marinette ran for class president against Chloè because no one else would. Apparently, Chloè's minion, Sabrina something-or-other, got into Marinette's room and tried to steal her diary, but something happened and it didn't work. That particular story gave Lila an idea. Over-the-top and evil, maybe, but still a valid idea. She wouldn't steal the diary, but she would sneak in and take a picture of every page. Marinette couldn't accuse her of taking the diary, and Lila would just leak out secrets about her one by one until it damaged her reputation to the point of no return.

After breakfast, Lila stalked back to her room, feeling a little bit better by then. She flopped down onto her bed and opened her laptop, pulling up a picture of the Dupain-Cheng patisserie. She had never been inside, so she didn't know the layout, but from pictures taken of the bottom floor, she figured the family likely lived above it, judging by the height of the house.

She also noticed a balcony with some potted plants and a pink deck chair, and...was that a trapdoor? If it was, it probably went into Marinette's room. Whatever. She would just ask Alya. Speaking of Alya, Lila was going to call her and ask her why she didn't show up the previous afternoon. She took her phone off of the charger by her bed and opened her contacts. _Alya +33636768_. Taking a deep breath, Lila pressed a button and heard the phone start ringing.

Three rings later, Alya picked up. "Hello?" She sounded bored.

"Hey! Alya! It's great to hear from you!" LIla wondered if she sounded too eager. "Listen, I know you probably had a perfectly good reason, but I was just wondering why you didn't show up at Place des Vosges yesterday."

There was silence on the other end for a few seconds. "Well, what do you want to hear? The truth or something I made up?"

"You can tell me the truth, Alya. If you think I'll get mad, I promise you I won't." Lila was nervous about what the real reason might be, but she hoped Alya didn't notice.

Alya huffed audibly on the other line. "Well, yes, I have the ability to tell you the truth, which is more than I can say about you, but that doesn't mean I should."

"What do you mean?"

"Trust is a two-way street, Lila. If you can prove to me that you haven't made it one-way, I might be honest with you."

"I don't lie to you!" Lila was getting angry now.

"There you go again."

"Ugh! Why weren't you there yesterday?"

"I had an eye-opening experience with a very good friend of mine." Alya explained vaguely.

"Who?"

"Your favorite superheroine, Ladybug."

"Why would you believe her over me? I thought we were best friends!"

"That's another lie, honey. Call me back when you get a life." And with that, Alya hung up, leaving Lila sitting on her bed, stunned. If Ladybug wanted to play that way, she could go ahead. Now Lila had two reputations to ruin.

…

After hanging up with Lila, Alya decided to call Marinette. She wasn't expecting to be forgiven for treating her supposed best friend like an absolute bitch for the past few months. In fact, Alya was almost certain she wouldn't forgive a person who did that to her. But she hoped Marinette would come around in time. She dug Marinette's number out from somewhere deep in her list of contacts: +33653257. Drawing in a deep breath, she pressed call before she could back out.

One ring. Two. Three. Four. _Click- Hey! It's Marinette, leave a message. Beep! Haha! -Click. _Sigh. Alya decided she would call back later, and just resorted to calling Nino instead. She had to explain the whole situation to him also.

…

Marinette got the call. She was in her room at the time, sitting right next to her phone, and she heard it ring. Sighing, she continued rocking Emma and swiveled her desk chair around to face sideways.

"Do you think I should've answered?" She asked Chat Noir tentatively. He had shown up about ten minutes prior to the call, and they had just been talking.

Chat took a step closer. "Are you really ready to talk to her?"

Marinette felt her breath catch in her throat. "I don't know. I don't think so. I mean, maybe? It's hard." She huffed in resignment, leaning back in the chair. Emma was sleeping now, so Marinette wheeled the chair over to the chaise and set her down.

"Why do you think she's calling you? I thought you two had some big rivalry going on."

"Well...maybe she figured out that I wasn't lying. Or, maybe it's the opposite. How am I supposed to know?" Marinette struggled to come up with a plausible answer that didn't involve telling Chat she had an intervention with Alya the day before.

"I mean, we know she figured out that Lila was lying about being Rena Rouge, and she's back on good terms with Ladybug, but you're right. That doesn't necessarily mean she wants to be friends with you again." Chat leaned against the desk, still facing Marinette.

Marinette couldn't help her feelings of dejection. She lost her best friend and didn't know whether she wanted her back or not. She looked up at Chat Noir with sad eyes and met his gaze. His big green eyes weren't filled with pity, but perhaps...empathy? Marinette blinked back tears she didn't know were in her eyes as she got up and walked over to Chat Noir, hugging him tight around his torso, the side of her head pressed up against his chest so she could feel his heartbeat. He tensed up at first, trying to figure out what was going on, but he was quick to return the gesture.

Marinette needed nothing more than a hug at that moment. Truth be told, she was warming up to her partner. All it took was seeing his honest, sensitive side to know that he wasn't just a punning - albeit annoying at times - guy who couldn't see past his crush on her alter ego and focus on the real world. No, these past few months had been proof to Marinette that she shouldn't have been so quick to judge him.

When Chat Noir began to pull back, Marinette hugged him tighter. She wasn't ready to let go of the only person who was always there for her, whether she liked it or not. He sighed gently, wrapping his arms back around her, one cradling the back of her head while the other rubbed soothing circles on her back.

It was then that Marinette realized that she was crying. The tears in her eyes from before were coming out, and there was nothing she could do to stop them. She wasn't totally aware of it, and she didn't know why she was crying. But no amount of hugs could fix the damage that had already been done to her by her "friends".

Chat Noir snuck a glance at the clock on Marinette's wall. He had fencing in literally ten minutes, and if he left then, he would make it back home before Nathalie came in to get him and tell him it was time to leave. On the other hand, he didn't want to go to fencing, and he also didn't want to leave Marinette, so...screw fencing. Screw Nathalie and the Gorilla. Screw Gabriel Agreste, because you know what? Chat didn't like him anyway. That was that.

"I've got some free time now. Do you want to grab some lunch?" Chat asked Marinette, who was still hugging him.

"Mmhmm." She mumbled, voice muffled by the shoulder her face was buried in.

"Okay. Hey, I know. We can have a picnic on top of Notre Dame. I'll bet you've never done that before."

Marinette looked up at him, eyes glassy and face stained with tears, but there was a smile on her face. "My parents are busy in the bakery. Why don't you come downstairs and we'll make some lunch. Then we can go wherever you want."

Chat grinned back. "Sure." Marinette grabbed his hand and led him downstairs, and there was no way he wouldn't follow, although it felt suspiciously familiar on both sides. The two of them rummaged around in the kitchen quietly, making sandwiches and filling a couple tins of extra pastries from the day prior. Putting everything in a picnic-style basket, Marinette hatched a plan where there would be no suspicions if Tom and Sabine went to her room and didn't see her.

She gave the basket to Chat Noir, who waited on her balcony while she grabbed her purse and went into the patisserie. From his perching position, he could make out part of their conversation, thanks to the open trapdoor.

"...going out for lunch...back before dinner…" He heard Marinette say.

"...and have fun...about Emma?..." Chat recognized Sabine's voice.

"...put her down for a nap...she'll be fine…"

"Bye, _ma cherie_. See you later!" Chat Noir had no trouble hearing every word Tom's booming voice said. He heard the bell on the door chime, signaling that Marinette was heading out. She looked around, and seeing no one in the immediate vicinity, stepped away from the door and gave Chat a signal. He jumped down and picked her up by the waist, and she grabbed the picnic basket from h is free hand so he could use his baton to make it safely back onto a nearby rooftop before anyone could notice them.

"All aboard the Chat Noir Express! All aboard!" Chat Noir tried to lower his voice so sound more mature, and Marinette had to stifle a giggle.

"We are now _en route_ to the beautiful Notre Dame." He announced in the same low voice, but it cracked at the end and shot up a couple octaves. Marinette burst out laughing, far from the cute giggle Chat had heard many other times. Though...somehow both of them gave him the same warm feeling inside. He smiled, proud of himself for boosting her morale because it boosted his as well.

…

A few minutes later, Chat Noir landed the two of them safely atop the Notre Dame. Setting Marinette down, he checked the time on his baton. Fencing began five minutes ago, and he felt no ounce of remorse for skipping, though he couldn't begin to think of what would happen when he went back home. Knowing his father, Nathalie was on the phone asking people if they had seen him and the Gorilla was patrolling the city inch by inch, waiting for alerts.

"Everything okay?" Marinette asked, putting a hand on Chat's shoulder. He jumped a bit, but turned and smiled at her brightly.

"Much better now." He said as Marinette withdrew her hand. She looked confused, but shook it off as she spread a tablecloth they packed out on the rooftop. Chat Noir could have sworn he saw his bodyguard drive by, and panicked before realizing he wasn't currently Adrien. He sat down on one side of the tablecloth, and Marinette did the same, but instead of sitting opposite from him, she sat next to him.

He visibly tensed at her action, but she just smirked. Another change: she had gotten a lot more comfortable around her partner in both forms, and knowing his sensitive side as Marinette had only deepened their connection. The most time she spent with Chat Noir as Ladybug was used to fight various garish villains. Aside from that, there was the one time they talked on a rooftop filled with rose petals and candles, but Ladybug didn't like to think about that, because it broke her heart knowing she had broken his.

The two sat in silence for a couple hours, enjoying the lunch and the gorgeous view of Paris for a while, not realizing how much time had passed. The wind picked up and Marinette shivered, wrapping her arms around herself.

"Do you want me to take you back?" Chat asked, noticing both the change in temperature and her reaction to it.

"No. I really want to stay here, but…"

Chat grinned at an idea he had. "No problem, Princess." He enjoyed the confused expression on her face as he removed several items from the tablecloth until it was empty and blowing in the wind. He picked it up and wrapped it around Marinette's shoulders, tying it around her neck like a cape.

"Does that mean I'm a superhero now?" She teased, flicking the bell in the center if his collar. Her breath hitched slightly as she realized what she just did, and Chat's reaction only confirmed what she was thinking. _Shit. Did I really just do that?_

If he figured it out, he didn't show it, instead raising an eyebrow and breaking the awkward silence that fell between them. "I guess so. You're acting more like m'lady all the time."

Marinette giggled nervously. "Yeah, right." More clouds gathered in the sky as it slowly turned from sky blue to gray, slowly getting darker as the menacing sounds of thunder jolted Marinette and Chat Noir from any previous trains of thought.

"I really should get you home." Chat said, quickly packing the remainder of their lunch back in the basket before wrapping an arm around Marinette's waist and pulling her closer. Wordlessly, she took the basket from his hand as he grabbed his baton and rushed his Princess home.

…

Minutes later, they were on top of the building adjacent to the Dupain Cheng patisserie as Chat leapt onto Marinette's balcony. By that time, the rain was coming down in sheets, forming large puddles in the streets, and Chat Noir had already taken one detour to turn Marinette's "cape" into a makeshift cloak. It hadn't done much, but Marinette smiled at the gesture.

"Get inside before you get too drenched." Chat advised, setting her down on the balcony.

"Thank you." Marinette said. "Really."

Chat smiled tenderly at her. "Hey, no problem. Maybe I'll swing by tomorrow." He gave her his trademark two-finger salute before turning around to leave.

Marinette caught his tail and he whipped his head back around to face her. "Why don't you stay here for a while? At least...until the rain lets up a bit."

"I wish I could, but they'll miss me back at home. Thanks, though."

"Oh, okay. That's fine. See you tomorrow?" Marinette asked, wondering why she was upset that he couldn't stay.

"Of course. Bye, Princess."

"Goodbye, _minou_." She said instinctively. "I mean...Chat." She let out another nervous giggle.

"Yeah." Chat said absently, lost in his thoughts. He extended his baton and rushed home, leaving Marinette out on her balcony to watch him until he disappeared from view.


	12. NOT A PART OF THE STORY - PLEASE READ!

**Author's Notes: Hey, guys. I'm not posting a chapter today, but I just wanted to address a pretty serious issue. For those of you that didn't know, the Notre Dame Cathedral in Paris - one of their oldest and most famous monuments - is burning down as we speak. It has been on fire since around 7:00 pm Paris time.**

**So far, the roof has caved in and one of the spires has fallen, and the fire has spread to one of the building's rectangular towers. It's a solemn time in France right now as the citizens watch an 856-year-old monument fall to the ground, and many have said it feels like a piece of France is going along with the cathedral.**

**Right now, firefighters are saying the next hour or so is crucial to try to salvage any part of it. As the top collapsed it took the fire into the building with it. Currently, the top priority is to save some of the ancient art and murals from the back of the church, because most of the architecture is already gone, and it is virtually impossible to beat the fire in time to save the architecture.**

**Why am I telling you all this? Well, Miraculous is set in Paris, France where the Notre Dame is currently burning. If you have never heard of it, never been there, etc., it's a setting in many of my stories. In fact, Marinette and Chat Noir had a picnic there in the last chapter of this story. Out of respect, Notre Dame will no longer be used as a setting in my stories.**

**Although this is a very sad time, I urge you all to look on the bright side for a few reasons. We can be grateful that the fire wasn't caused by attackers or terrorists, but a crew was working on renovations to keep the cathedral intact when a fire broke out. Another reason to be grateful is that there have been no reported deaths or injuries. It will affect all of us, maybe not directly, but no one has died or been hurt by the fire.**

**So, please, all of you - pray to whoever or whatever you may believe in to keep the people of Paris and the firefighters safe as they battle the monstrous fire. Keep all of them in your thought and prayers as a part of Paris dissolves in flames. It impacts a lot of people, so it is important to show respect in this sorrowful time. If you read this, I thank you, and I hope that everything works out well in the end. My prayers go out to everyone at this time.**

**\- TheAmazingFireshadow**


	13. Chapter 13

**Author's Notes: I'm really, really, really sorry for the huge delay. My sister and my brother came home for the weekend, then between family gatherings, Easter, and schoolwork, I just didn't have the time to throw together a decent chapter. I hope this makes up for it, and I promise I'm trying to stay on schedule. As for my other unfinished stories, I won't be working on them until I finish this one, because this story takes a lot of effort and requires my full attention. I promise I'll finish the other ones sooner or later, though :)**

**Also, total sidenote: if you're wondering why I keep mentioning the chausson aux pommes, I've been dipping my toes into the wonderful world of symbolism. Just the pastry alone represents, like, four different things, and so does the diary, so there is a method to my madness, I promise.**

**Day 16**

Lila dragged herself out of bed, temper still flaring from the previous day's experiences. She got as far as the kitchen table when a note caught her eye. As suspected, it was from her mother. There was some breaking news story that Clara had to be an on-the-spot reporter for, so she got up at half past four, threw on some business clothes and some makeup, and left, frantically scribbling a note to her still-asleep daughter on her way out the door.

Lila sighed. If anyone wondered why she lied all the time...well, there were two reasons. First of all, her life seemed pretty boring as lives go. Now, for some, the constant travel and moving from place to place might be intriguing, but it was really just boring after a while. The second reason was that she moved so damn often that no one ever had time to catch her in a lie.

So, the fact that Clara now had a fairly steady job and showed no signs of moving for a few months - or years, as she enjoyed the sights and people of Paris more and more each day - was worrying. Lila had already gotten in way over her head with the lies about Ladybug. She had most people convinced, but losing Alya was a devastating blow. Alya was not only Lila's source of information about Marinette and Ladybug, but her connection to the internet where her lies spread like wildfire, going viral almost overnight. And then...even more so when Alya revealed that the interview was completely bogus. So much for that.

Looking in the cupboard for something to eat, Lila found her breakfast options were limited - again. Nothing new there. So...cereal and milk again. If Lila didn't have a rivalry with Marinette, she would be tempted to go over to the Dupain-Cheng patisserie and get some pastries to eat. On the other hand, Marinette might not be up yet, and it would give Lila a good chance to scope out the place.

If there was a diary in Marinette's room, Lila wanted to be certain she knew where the room was. The only other snag was getting into the room in the first place. Because if (like she saw in the photos) that balcony did belong to Marinette, one would need something along the lines of superpowers to get there without anyone noticing. Where was Hawk Moth when she needed him?

Lila grabbed her wallet and her house keys from the top of her dresser and started for the front door, detouring for a moment to grab her school bag. She may be a compulsive liar, but she wasn't stupid. By the time she made it to the Dupain-Cheng patisserie - which, by the way, was _right_ across the street from the school and across town from her house - she would have, perhaps, five or so minutes at the most before school started after considering the expected breakfast rush.

Doing some math in her head, Lila quickly figured out that her assumption was right. Going to the patisserie then going _back_ to her house to pick up her things for school then going all the way _back_ to school would put her...probably close to twenty minutes into first period French Literature. Yeah, no. That wouldn't have been the smartest choice Lila could've made.

…

Fifteen minutes later, Lila was standing outside the Dupain-Cheng patisserie. She took a deep breath before pushing open the door, slightly startled by the bell that chimed when she entered. As she suspected, there was a long line of people waiting to get their breakfast, pick up any special orders, etc. It was a small business but a popular one, so a long, slow-moving line wasn't unusual, especially at breakfast time.

Lila looked around for a few minutes, just scoping out the place to find stairs or any sign of living quarters above the patisserie. She was about to give up any hope of finding a definite entrance when her attention was drawn back to the counter in front of her. Ten minutes had passed without her knowledge and there was no longer a line in front of her.

"Good morning!" A short, Asian woman greeted Lila from behind the counter. Marinette's mother, perhaps? There was some resemblance in the eyes and hair and it would make sense, being a family-owned bakery.

"Hi!" Lila said, trying to sound cheerful.

"What can I get for you this morning?" The woman had a kind face and a good disposition, and Lila began to take a liking to her against her will.

"Uh...actually, it's my first time here. What do you suggest?"

"My husband just finished a tray of chausson aux pommes. You know what? I bet they're still warm. Can I grab you a couple of those?"

Lila couldn't help but let a genuine smile creep onto her face. "That sounds really good! Thank you!"

"No problem! You're in school, right?"

"Yep! Right across the street." Lila pointed out the window to the high school across the way.

"Oh! My daughter goes there, too. Maybe you know her? Her name is Marinette." The woman's eyes lit up with pride at the mention of her daughter, and Lila couldn't help but be envious. Her mother loved her, but they had a very detached relationship.

Lila forced a smile. "Marinette? Yeah, she's in my class!" she said with fake enthusiasm.

"Really? What's your name?"

"Lila. Lila Rossi. I'm new, though, and my family travels a lot. Marinette and I are pretty good friends. She was so welcoming when I came for the first time." Lila lied through her teeth, and for some reason it was hard to lie to Marinette's mother.

The woman chuckled lightly. "She's like that, isn't she?" Lila could've sworn the woman's eyes were literally sparkling. Then holding out her hand, she said, "I'm Sabine Dupain-Cheng, Marinette's mother."

Lila shook her hand in return. "It's nice to meet you, Mme. Dupain-Cheng."

"Oh, please call me Sabine. We're very informal around here. Well, I don't want you to be late for school, so I'll hurry and get your chausson aux pomme."

"Okay. Thank you!" Lila stood in line for a moment, waiting and fidgeting with the clasp on her wallet. She took in the sweet aroma of the quaint, little patisserie and wished she could live with it all the time - without Marinette there, of course.

…

Unbeknownst to Lila, Sabine took a detour to call Marinette downstairs, because one of her 'friends' was there to see her.

Marinette yawned as she trudged down the stairs, leaving Emma on her pink spotted chaise until breakfast time. "Hey, Maman. What's up?"

"One of your friends from school is here. I told her I would bring her a fresh chausson aux pomme from your dad, but why don't you do it? It would give you a chance to say hello to her." Sabine encouraged.

"Okay, Maman," Marinette sighed heavily, wondering which 'friend' of hers was here for breakfast. Whatever. She made her way to the back room where Tom was furiously baking croissants, chausson aux pommes, macarons, petit fours, and a bunch of other things. The back room was a mess, flour and bits of batter everywhere, cookies waiting to be iced or decorated, pastries waiting to be filled with various flavors of fruity jams. You know, the usual.

"Morning, Papa." Marinette greeted the already weary Tom with a kiss on the cheek.

"Good morning, _ma cherie_. You're up earlier than usual." Tom commented.

"Maman woke me up. She sent me back here to get a chausson aux pomme for one of my friends."

Tom smiled and handed her two. "Tell your friend one of them is on the house."

"Oh, Papa. You don't have to do that-" Marinette was interrupted by her enthusiastic father.

"We're never too busy to serve a friend of yours, sweetie! Now go on." Marinette relented, knowing she couldn't talk her father out of anything he had his mind set on.

"Thank you, Papa. See you this afternoon!" Marinette called as she rushed out of the back room, figuring she had kept her friend waiting long enough.

…

Lila checked the clock on the wall. It had been more than five minutes since Mme. Dupain-Cheng went into the back to grab breakfast for her. Where was she? Lila saw a door creak open, and seeing that it was the same door the woman disappeared through minutes earlier, assumed it was her coming back with the food. But no, it was none other than Marinette, who froze upon seeing the 'friend' that was supposedly waiting for her.

There was a brief standoff with some vicious eye contact between the two before Marinette clenched her jaw and walked over to the counter, ensuring that there was still some distance separating them. Marinette was lucky there were other people in line so her interaction with Lila could be short and to the point.

Marinette sighed, outstretching the hand holding the pastries. "Four Euros, please." Somehow those three words held months of malice, as did the strained grimace of a smile etched onto her face.

"Wow. That's pretty cheap," Lila commented, pulling some coins from her wallet.

"Discounted. It's discounted. For a…" Marinette squeezed her eyes shut so she could manage to spit out the rest of the sentence. "..._friend_ of the family."

Seeing people waiting in line behind her, Lila quickly threw on a look of faux courtesy and smiled, eager to finish the conversation. "Thank you. I'll see you at school, yeah?"

"Yeah," Marinette mumbled.

"Great! I won't keep you. Later!" Lila turned around and walked out, letting real emotion show on her face. She managed to sneak one last look at the clock inside and saw that she still had a few minutes before she had to be at school. She decided to eat a quick breakfast at the Place des Vosges before going to school. It was right across the street, so it wasn't like it was out of her way.

Lila sat down on a bench facing away from the patisserie and reluctantly took a bite of her chausson aux pomme. She bit through the flaky crust and found the gooey apple inside. As much as she wanted to hate it, it was impossible. It tasted too damn good to be bad.

She went to take another bite and noticed that there were two of them in the bag Marinette handed her. Was that Marinette's doing? Why would she do that? Oh, well. Lila didn't have time to worry about it. She finished her first pastry while walking to school and saved the other one for lunch time.

…

For Adrien, school was a complete and utter shitshow that day. Not because he kept thinking about Marinette and overanalyzing every tidbit of their conversation from the day prior (although the fact that he stayed up way too late thinking about it might have had something to do with it), but it was because of Lila. And...also Alya, who had turned so drastically over the weekend to the other side of the whole ordeal that it almost gave Adrien whiplash. Like, it was _really _bad.

If there was one thing Adrien learned on the very first day of his school career, it was that Alya wasn't a person you wanted to mess with, and she wasn't someone you wanted to have as an enemy. She would quite literally tear you apart with words, and it was brutal. Adrien was late, so he missed the first part of the fight, but what he walked in on wasn't pretty, to say the least.

Pretty much the entire class - excluding a select few who were late - was gathered near a staircase on the main floor of the school. They were all crowded around Alya and Lila, and they may as well have been chanting, "Fight! Fight! Fight!" because it looked like that's what they were setting up for. Adrien looked around and noted Marinette's absence - not surprising - and decided it was probably better that she didn't witness this.

Alya cracked her knuckles, and it looked like she was about to tear Lila a new one. Actually...that wasn't too far off. Adrien decided to stand next to Nino, who was off to the side, not wanting to get involved with any of the shenanigans his girlfriend had gotten herself into. Honestly, Adrien couldn't blame him.

Lila stepped up and started talking, figuring she should at least figure out what was going on before she did anything temerarious. "Why didn't you show up on Saturday at the Place des Vosges?"

"I already told you, _Volpina_." Alya hissed with venom in her voice. "I was talking to Ladybug, th_e rea_l superheroine." There was a collective gasp from the class as they struggled to figure out what was going down.

The only person stupidly brave enough to speak up was Kim. "You mean...you mean Lila isn't Rena Rouge?"

"Ha! Far from it. For all of you who didn't catch the follow-up post on the Ladyblog, yeah. Lila is full of BS."

Lila scoffed at that. "As if! You're the only liar around here."

"What did I even do? If you're going to lie, at least do it well. Although...I don't know if you're capable of that." Out of the corner of Adrien's eye, he saw Marinette walk in. Terrific.

Lila pointed an accusatory finger at Alya. "You lied and told me you were going to meet me on Saturday. You lied and told me we were best friends. I'll bet at least _half_ of the secrets you told me about Marinette were lies too!"

"Secrets? What secrets?" Marinette asked timidly. Her voice was shaky, wondering what Alya might have told Lila.

"Oh, god. Ohgodohgodohgod-Marinette, it's not what you think! I swear!" Alya made an 'X' over her heart with a finger and held her other hand up as if taking a vow.

"Really? What else could it be? I know Lila's lies well, and I also know that what she just said was the truth. How else could she have known about my…" Marinette trailed off, deciding not to mention her obsessive crush in front of Adrien.

"Okay. Okay, fine." Alya relented, holding both of her hands up in surrender. "I _may_ have told her a few things. But that was before I knew!" she protested. "I didn't know just how _bitchy_ of a person Lila was." The last part of the sentence was directed towards the bitchy person herself.

"How dare you?" Lila asked, offended at the comment but incapable of doing much to defend her point.

"How dar_e you_?" Alya fired back, arms crossed.

Marinette was incredulous and Adrien could see the fire and hurt in her eyes from a kilometer away. "How dare _either_ of you? Lila, how dare you not only make me sit in the back so you could sit next to your crush all because of a fake medical condition, but then go so far as to _threaten_ me in the bathroom? How dare you steal my best friend with false information and bait her to give you information about me so you could ruin my reputation?

"Alya, how dare you take that bait without verifying your sources? I should think any good reporter would check her information before posting it everywhere online. And even if we weren't best friends anymore, even if I _hated_ you, I wouldn't spill the many secrets I know about you to someone I don't know very well. Hell, I wouldn't even tell Ladybug or Chat Noir the things I know about you! What do you think a secret is?

"As for the rest of you," Marinette shot a death glare in the general direction of her classmates. "Lila came here full of lies, and the first thing you did was turn on the only two people who knew what was really up. Sure, I thought something was fishy from the moment she set foot in this building, but even _I_ gave her the benefit of the doubt. Do I need to remind you that the very first day she came here she got Akumatized?

"Then she came back with a whole slew of 'medical problems,'" Marinette used air quotes for emphasis, but she could only use one hand because she was holding Emma, who wasn't looking too pleased with everyone's yelling. "...forced everyone to switch seats so she could sit next to Adrien, threatened to take away my friends if I told people about her lies, and then what did she do? She got Akumatized. _Again_."

When Marinette stopped, she was fuming, but everyone else just looked scared and uncomfortable. Some of the most awkward moments of silence followed, _until_ Emma started to cry. Lila opened her mouth to make some sort of snide comment, but Marinette shot her one more withering look before stomping off to the locker room. Not even students from other classes were talking, as they had all tuned in to hear the argument and were now just staring, slack-jawed.

After a few long moments, Alya collected herself. There was more rage in her than ever before. Adrien had seen Akumatized villains look nicer. Painfully slowly, Alya turned around to face Lila. "You son of a bitch, you _threatened_ her? You _fucking_ threatened her?!"

Lila was trying to look calm, but inside, her heart was pounding. She was sure Alya was going to beat her up. "I-"

"No." Alya shut her down. "Absolutely fucking not. Do you think this is a game? Do you think for a second that you can get away with this?"

"I-"

"Do you?"

With a sudden burst of confidence, Lila set her jaw and just stared at Alya with a smirk on her face. There was more than one way to ruin a reputation.

"If you do..." Alya pointed accusingly at Lila. "...If you do, honey, you're in trouble."  
"Really? And just what are you going to do? Do you really think a blog post is going to make me back down? Do you _want_ me to show you what I'm capable of? Alya Césaire, I can ruin you, and I'm not afraid to do it." Lila's smirk was gone, her expression now stony.

Alya met Lila's gaze with an equal expression on her face. "You'd better buckle up, buttercup, 'cause you just flipped my bitch switch." With that, she turned around and left. But as they say, hindsight is 20/20. And boy, was Alya going to figure that out fast.

…

The rest of the day was spectacularly uneventful, other than the death glares and silent treatment between Marinette, Alya, and Lila. Now literally the only person Marinette was even remotely getting along with was Chat Noir. She still wasn't allowed to talk to Adrien, and even if she could, she wasn't confident that she would be able to face him. Adrien now knew about her crush on him, thanks to Lila, and just being around him seemed awkward for both.

The class managed to get through French Lit without any major snafus, but no one was really focusing. The majority of them were getting over the fact that Lila was not Rena Rouge after all, and Alya was constantly scowling down at Lila as if she was about to snap the bitch's neck in half. Sitting next to her, Nino was afraid he might have to physically restrain his girlfriend from attempting murder.

After French Lit with Mme. Bustier came Geometry, with their teacher's monotonous lesson on Pascal's and Pappus' theorems. Marinette - for the first time - was grateful for Emma's temper tantrum that interrupted class, because it meant she got to miss some of the lesson. I mean, it wasn't like she understood it in the first place, and she would figure it out later when she did her homework. With any luck, Chat Noir would drop by, and maybe he knew how to do it.

Physical Education was a blast, as always. Armand D'Argencourt was kind enough to let Marinette sit on the sidelines with Emma, and she actually found it much more entertaining to watch a game of dodgeball than to actually participate. Then the class rejoined Mme. Bustier for History, etc., etc. Marinette decided to be brave and stay for lunch that day. Perhaps it wasn't her best decision, but oh, well.

…

Adrien wasn't sure what to do with all the information he had now. He now knew that apparently, Marinette had a crush on him, and he didn't want to break her already fragile spirit by not being able to reciprocate those feelings, but it wasn't like they could talk to each other anyway. He also knew that Lila had threatened Marinette before, and he was furious at Lila, of course, but at the same time, he was wondering why Marinette never told him. Did she not trust him?

He still sat next to Marinette in the back of Mme. Bustier's classroom, because although it was awkward, it was definitely preferable to sitting next to Lila. During class, he found his mind wandering, though. I mean, lying was one thing, but verbally threatening people was straight-up bullying, and that was something Adrien wasn't going to overlook. If there was a bullying problem, that had to be handled sooner rather than later.

All day, Adrien found himself wondering what kind of threats Lila used. Marinette had mentioned something about taking her friends if she told people about her lies, but was that it? Was there more? What happened in the bathroom that day? Adrien's mind was plagued with thought of just how far Lila might go to achieve what she wanted. Actually… What _did_ she want?

Of course, now that Lila's lies were out in the open, it was harder to get past them, but it also made Lila all the more determined to win. She was going to ruin Marinette, Ladybug, and maybe Alya if it was the last thing she ever did. Then there was that diary… Lila was pretty sure it was in Marinette's room, and the only thing left to do was get in there and steal it.

The only problem was that Lila had no idea how to get to Marinette's room, and she also didn't know where the diary might be. She had never been in the apartment above the bakery, so she didn't know the layout well like Alya or someone. However, she did have her ways. Improvisation was her best friend in times like these. Get people fired up and they'll fire back.

…

Lunch was uninteresting for the most part. Lila and Alya sat on opposite sides of the room, a seating arrangement politely suggested by the cafeteria staff. It was effective, but Nino practically had to tie Alya down to her seat so she wouldn't go over and tear Lila apart piece by piece. Lila, the little bitch, just sat smirking at Alya and eating a pastry of some sort, while Alya fumed helplessly, knowing there was nothing she could do to stop what was coming. Alya was scary when she was angry, and Nino knew.

The rest of the afternoon passed, dull as usual except for people murmuring apologies to Marinette. Adrien, however, was trying to come up with a clever way to get Lila out of the way so he could talk to Marinette. There was no way he could wait until that night to find out just what Lila said and/or did to his Princess, and his busy schedule would prevent him from visiting her as Chat Noir that night.

Truth be told, Adrien had had just about enough. Lila was constantly finding discreet ways to pester Marinette knowing the poor girl could do nothing about it. Marinette hated feeling so helpless, and Adrien hated seeing her that way. So, when Lila "accidentally" stuck her foot into the path while Marinette was walking to her seat, Adrien blew a fuse.

Marinette comically flailed about until she came to a less than graceful landing on the ground with a dull _thump_, and considering her innate clumsiness, she couldn't play it like it was Lila's fault. Even though it was. It obviously was. Alya was by her side in a second, helping her off the ground. Maybe they weren't best friends anymore, but Alya wanted to work her way back up.

"You okay, Marinette?" Alya asked as she hoisted Marinette back onto her feet.

"Yeah, thanks. I'm just clumsy, that's all." Marinette was trying to send a telepathic message to Alya to lay off of Lila, but Alya didn't take the hint.

"It wasn't your fault, it was-"

"Please. Alya. Just...let it go." Alya opened her mouth to protest but snapped it back shut, furiously heading back over to her seat.

…

Mme. Bustier's lesson was intensely monotonous, and everyone was feeling it by about twenty minutes in.

With a sigh, Lila raised her hand. "Mme. Bustier?"

"Yes, Lila?"

"May I go to the bathroom?"

"Of course. Just hurry back."

"I will, ma'am." Everyone knew that Lila probably wasn't going to the bathroom. It was a tactic they all used from time to time. If the lesson was too boring, they would ask to leave the room for a minute. It alleviated some of the boredom.

Marinette noticed that the corner of Adrien's jaw began to twitch whenever Lila began to speak, and his leg was bouncing furiously. Now that Lila was away for a moment, she wanted to try to calm him down, maybe say something to make him feel better. The only problem was, she didn't know what she would say if she had the chance. All of a sudden, Adrien's hand shot up into the air.

"Mme. Bustier? May I be excused as well?"

"Sure, Adrien. Don't be long, now."

"I won't." Marinette shot him a warning look. As he stood up, he mouthed, "Don't worry," to her, but it didn't make her not worry. In fact, she was _very_ worried. But Adrien left the room without a word, and he went in the same direction Lila did. That was when Marinette knew there would be trouble. The water fountains, the stairs, the lockers, and the boys' bathroom were all in the other direction. From Mme. Bustier's room, the only thing in the direction Adrien went was the girls' room.

…

As Adrien suspected, Lila hadn't gone to the bathroom. She was standing in the hall and staring at her phone, lingering in the halls until she felt like going back to class. Adrien just stood in front of her, arms crossed and body tense as his hands balled into fists. Lila looked up at him with an infuriatingly uninterested look on her face that made Adrien want to smack it right off.

No matter how hard he had to try, Adrien had to maintain his composure. If he let down his guard, who knew what Lila might do? "Lila, can you be honest with me?"

Her eyes shone with rage. "I'm not a liar!"

"I'm not accusing you of that! I just want some answers."

Lila was skeptical. "Okay…"

"What did you say to Marinette?"

"I'm afraid you're going to have to be a little bit more specific. I've said a lot of things to Marinette."

"Yeah, that's kind of my problem. I'm talking about in the bathrooms when she was with you. I believe it was the day Chameleon was Akumatized."

Lila winced at the memory, remembering that she was Chameleon. "Why do you want to know?"

"I'm just curious. I would ask Marinette to tell me, but she's not speaking to me."

"Gee, I wonder why." Lila asked innocently. "Well, she accused me of lying about pretty much everything, and I got mad."

"Is that it?"

There was silence on Lila's end as she contemplated the question. "Yes."

Adrien raised an eyebrow. "Try again. I know you threatened her that day. I want to know what you said, and I want to know why. Between you and me, I _know_ you're lying about half the things you say. If you tell me the truth and give me a reason to believe you, I might rethink things. But as of now, you have zero credibility. So, I'll ask again. What did you say to Marinette?"

"She was the one that started it."

"That doesn't answer my question." Adrien replied stiffly.

"Okay. Okay, fine. I'll tell you what I said. I told her that she was either with me or against me and that I would give her until the end of class that day to decide which side she was on."

"How is that a threat?" Adrien asked.

"Oh, there's more. And you know what? I don't care who hears. I meant every word of what I said to her that day, and I wouldn't take any of it back. I could tell she was against me, so I told her soon she wouldn't have any friends, and she definitely wouldn't have you. You know what you've done? You've ruined it.

"I had all but one thing done. She had no one. Not a single person would believe anything she said about me, including Alya. But you, Adrien Agreste? You believed her .I don't know why, but you did. Now I'm losing, but trust me when I say this: soon, you'll be the ones losing. No matter what you do, I will come out on top." With that, Lila flipped her hair back and strutted down the hall, opening the door of Mme. Bustier's room and going inside.

…

At the end of the day, there was talk about trying to find out Ladybug's identity, and that's when the realization hit Lila like a rock: Marinette and Adrien weren't her biggest enemies, Ladybug was. Ladybug was the one that started it all in the park; the other two were just witnesses. Ladybug was the one that coaxed Alya back to the other side. Ladybug was the one that ruined it all, right from the beginning. And most importantly, Ladybug was the one who obliterated Lila's chances with Adrien.

Lila went home fuming. She crashed through the front door, ignoring her mother's greetings. She stomped off into her room and sulked for a good couple of hours, trying to come up with a viable plan to get Marinette's diary. Perhaps Lila's real enemy was Ladybug, but Marinette was definitely more approachable. Now if _Ladybug_ had a diary, it would be a different story.

By the time, Lila was in bed, most of her anger had been released, though she still very much held the grudge from the very first day she came to Paris and met Ladybug. Lila decided one way to release that grudge was to fuel it, so she made the executive decision to go back to the Ladyblog.

…

Shortly before midnight, her anger was bigger than ever, and she was back to her original plan: take down Ladybug as soon as possible. Every picture, news article, or video clip seemed to spark the same feeling in her, and she was filled with utter disgust and resentment. She knew she had to do something, but what could she possibly do?

That fury combined with helplessness created one of the worst emotions Lila had ever experienced, as a few angry tears unwillingly slipped from her eyes. She knew she couldn't wait until the sun came up to devise a plan, so she turned on the lamp by her bed and grabbed the hairbands from her nightstand. She put one in towards the bottom of her long mane off hair, and began tying up the two shorter clumps of hair hanging at the sides of her head.

Meanwhile, Gabriel Agreste was awakened by one of the strongest emotions he had ever felt. He slipped on his day clothes and immediately walked to his office, going over to the back wall. He pressed a combination of buttons on the portrait of his wife, triggering the entrance to his lair. Once he was sure he was alone, he summoned Nooroo from inside his shirt pocket.

"Nooroo, dark wings rise!" His menacing voice echoed throughout the room. "I sense a familiar emotion. Ladybug and Chat Noir, you still aren't done with this one!" Summoning a pure white butterfly into his left hand, he placed his right over it, infecting it with his dark magic. "Fly, my little one, and Akumatize this wrathful soul!"

Lila's tears were still spilling as she was tying her second piece of hair, and she knew she was about to boil over. She squeezed her eyes shut tightly, and didn't notice the black and purple butterfly phasing through her window and into her hair tie.

"Changeling," the well-known voice rang through her head. "We know each other well, so I'll skip the introduction. Your most powerful enemy is Ladybug, as is mine. Take on the appearance of the one you hate most, and become my most powerful ally!"

"Sounds miraculous, Hawk Moth." Lila grinned evilly as the evil power enveloped her. As the magic faded, Lila realized she looked exactly like Ladybug.

Hawk Moth tapped his fingers together placidly. "Good. Then listen closely."


	14. Chapter 14

**Author's Notes: I know I used a lot of strong language in the last chapter, and I apologize. I've gotten a request to put a notice at the beginning of any chapters I might use language like that, and I want your opinions. Is it enough that in the summary it says that the story is rated T for strong language, or should I put extra warning on individual chapters? Please PM me to let me know what you think. Thanks 3**

**Also, if you're wondering, I'm not going to tell you what Hawk Moth's plan is. Try to figure it out. It's pretty simple, honestly, and a viable strategy.**

**Day 15**

Changeling carefully opened the bedroom window and used her new yo-yo to swing from a street lamp onto a nearby rooftop.

"Okay, Hawk Moth. Go."

"If you execute this plan properly, you _will_ get those Miraculouses. However, if you don't, you'll fail. So listen up, because you _don't_ get a second chance." Hawk Moth warned.

"I'm ready."

"Here's the plan," Hawk Moth began.

…

A blaring car alarm startled Marinette and Emma from a deep sleep at close to one in the morning. It had all the implications of an Akuma attack, and Marinette just prayed that her parents weren't awake. Being the loving parents that they were, the first thing Tom and Sabine would do upon waking up in the midst of danger was check on their daughter. It was great, sure, and Marinette didn't mind, but she really needed to be Ladybug and fast, so maybe she could salvage a little bit of sleep before school started.

Peering down the stairs, Marinette saw no light coming from her parents' room, and figured the coast was clear. She went down into the patisserie to transform, but Tikki interrupted her.

"Marinette! What about Emma?" The Kwami squealed. Of course duty came first, but taking care of Emma was Marinette's responsibility, and Tikki refused to let her chosen neglect that task.

Marinette sighed, rubbing sleep out of her eyes. "I'll just deal with the Akuma fast. Then I'll come back and take care of everything, I promise."

Tikki was unimpressed. "Marinette, I can hear her crying from here. Just feed her and quiet her down so your parents won't wake up, then you can hurry and defeat whoever the villain is this time."

"Okay, fine." Sleepily, Marinette trudged back upstairs to the apartment to make some formula. Once that task was completed, she went further upstairs into her room to feed the crying baby lying in a blanket on her chaise and smelled something...off.

"This is _definitely_ my least favorite part of having a baby in the house." Marinette grumbled. " No, I will assuredly _not_ miss this one bit." After a quick change and half a bottle of formula, Emma wasn't tired. Why should she be? She just woke up.

"Terrific." Marinette said cynically, voice positively _dripping_ with sarcasm. "Just terrific."

There was another _crash_ clearly audible even with all the windows closed, and Tikki furrowed her brow. "There's no time to put her back to sleep. Paris needs Ladybug. _Now_." Marinette nodded and rushed down a few sets of stairs. Finding herself once again in the patisserie kitchen, the coast was clear.

"Tikki, spots on!" The Miraculous magic surrounded her, and her pink spotted pajamas were replaced with the signature Ladybug suit, complete with two red hair ribbons and a yo-yo resting around her waist like a belt. In a flash, Ladybug was outside, taking care not to be seen exiting the building.

All the streetlights were busted, and there was a new moon that night combined with a layer of fog that settled over the city, making it nearly impossible to see more than a foot ahead. There were swarms of people in the road, frantic and racing around, most looking in a daze. It was a curious sight, for sure, so Ladybug went up to Officer Roger Raincomprix who was unsuccessfully trying to keep some sort of tranquility in the streets.

"Did you see the villain, Officer?"

Roger lowered his megaphone. "Not clearly, Ladybug. Whoever is behind this, they're very elusive. All I saw was a flash of red."

"You didn't see anything else?" Ladybug pondered what an unusual occurrence it was. Usually, the Akuma victim caused a huge ruckus, sometimes stopping for an interview to publicize their outlandish schemes.

"No, I didn't. Wait - could you throw your yo-yo, please?"

"I guess so." Ladybug threw the main part of the yo-yo, the string looped around one of her fingers. As it went out and came back, there was an unmistakable noise.

Roger's eyes glistened with inquisitive determination. "The villain - she made that sound. The very same sound."

"She?"

"I think it was a she. I can't say I'm positive, but I think so."

"And she made the same noise as I do with my yo-yo?"

"Yes."

Ladybug's face was etched with confusion as she contemplated the vague set of facts she had to go off of. "Thank you. That's very helpful."

Roger's chest puffed out in self-pride. "Thank _you_, Ladybug. And good luck."

Ladybug smiled and used her yo-yo to swing onto a rooftop, memorizing the sound it made so she could listen for it. She looked around, and seeing nothing in the dark, quietly wished she had night vision like Chat Noir. Where was he anyway?

After a few minutes of useless searching, Ladybug came to a stop. Without Chat Noir, there was no way she would be able to get very far. Flipping open her bug phone, she opted to call Chat. Maybe he was already out and just didn't know where to find her? He didn't pick up. Ladybug exhaled heavily and decided to leave a voicemail.

"Hey, Chat. I don't know where you are, but there's a villain on the loose. All I have to go off of is a sound right now. Meet me by the Place des Vosges as soon as you can. I'll need a helping paw to defeat-" Ladybug paused, hearing the distinctive _whoosh_ of her yo-yo, and continued in a low voice. "There's the sound. I may have a lead, Chat. Get your tail over here."

Careful not to make a noise, Ladybug closed the phone and slipped it back around her waist. She squinted into the darkness, hearing the sound echo again through the night, but still saw no one. Her heart and head were pounding with a dreadful feel of uncertainty. Then, it got darker, though Ladybug barely noticed the difference when she blacked out.

…

After a few more hours of low-key destruction and terrorization across Paris, Changeling had done her duties for the time being, and she slipped into her bedroom window to avoid suspicion.

"Phase One done, Hawk Moth."

"Very good, Changeling. You'll get your powers back later, but for now, go to school. We'll pick this up tonight where we left off." With that, Hawk Moth outstretched his arms and renounced the Akuma. The evil magic left it, turning it back into a pure white butterfly, and Changeling was Lila Rossi once more.

There was a knock on the door. "Honey, are you up?" It was Clara, her voice muffled by the piece of wood separating them.

"Yeah, Mom."

"I got us some breakfast. I don't have to leave early, so I'll drive you to school, if that's okay." Clara's footsteps were heard walking down the hall back to the kitchen.

Lila was curious at the mention of breakfast, and exited her room in search of food. Upon entering the kitchen, she found a box of pastries...from the Dupain-Cheng patisserie? Yep. Where else? It was ironic, really, because Lila had eaten there the day before. Still, she gratefully accepted any fresh breakfast she could get her hands on, and tried to play it off like she hadn't been helping Hawk Moth mere seconds ago.

Croissants and petit fours from the box welcomed Lila with their warmth and heavenly smell. Lila could _almost_ stand being with Marinette if it meant getting fresh-baked pastries on the daily. Almost. The only thing she was looking forward to was getting back home from school so she could begin Phase Two of Hawk Moth's plan, mostly because it involved lying. It was a risky lie, but totally worth it if she could take down Ladybug and Chat Noir.

When Lila was good and full of baked goods, she grabbed her bag and her phone and followed her mom out to the car. For a split second on the way to school, Lila thought she saw Ladybug. The figure was pretty far away, but upon closer examination, she found that it was only a helicopter landing on the roof of a building. The rest of the ride was peaceful and free of thoughts about Ladybug, for which Lila was grateful.

…

Adrien slept peacefully, absentmindedly dreaming of Ladybug. He didn't know why; he hadn't dreamt about her in a while. But still, it was just a dream, so he thought nothing of it. His plan was to get ready early so he could drop by Marinette's balcony before school - as Chat, of course. So as soon as Nathalie knocked on his door, he leapt out of bed to prepare for the long day ahead of him. Well, it would be a lot longer than he thought.

The Gorilla dropped him off twenty minutes before the bell, so Adrien had enough time to transform, visit Marinette for ten minutes or so, then get back to school before class started. He rushed up the stairs and went directly into the bathroom, happy to find it empty. In the solitude, he summoned Plagg, who lazily and unwillingly flew out of Adrien's shirt.

"Remind me again why we woke up so early?"

"I want to go see Marinette. I didn't get to visit her yesterday with Chinese, fencing, and the rescheduled photoshoot."

The Kwami groaned. "C'mon, kid. You saw her all day yesterday, and you'll see her all day today." Plagg wasn't convinced of this. He felt Tikki's aura, and it was strong, as if the Miraculous was in use. He didn't say anything, though.

Adrien only rolled his eyes. "Plagg, claws out!"

"Aw, I hate transformiiiiiiiiiing!" Plagg whined as he was sucked into his chosen's Miraculous ring.

No sooner did the leather of the suit cover Adrien's feet before he was out the window and bounding across the street with the use of his baton. All he wanted to do was see Marinette, and he was so preoccupied he didn't notice all the rows of busted street lamps. He landed on Marinette's balcony and smiled, hearing the sound of crying from inside. It was strange, though; the trapdoor was already open, and Chat didn't see Marinette inside.

Chat jumped down through the opening and landed on the floor of Marinette's room with a _thump_. It was unusual to find her not in her room, and if she had left, she would have taken Emma with her. Right?

"Marinette?" Chat called out, waiting for a reply. The only thing audible was the bawling basket case on the chaise. "Marinette? Are you here?" Chat furrowed his brow and stood akimbo, wondering where she was. He was doing his best not to panic; there was probably a logical reason for everything.

Still, he began considering the facts: First of all, the trapdoor was open when he arrived. Second, Emma was in the room, but Marinette wasn't. Third, looking around, Chat saw Marinette's school bag leaning against her bedroom wall, meaning she hadn't left for school. It wasn't much to go off of, so he went for the next best approach.

"Chat Noir? What are you doing here?" Sabine asked, handing a bag over the counter to a man Chat recognized as Xavier Ramier. No doubt there was at least one baguette in that bag that Mr. Ramier would give to the pigeons across Paris.

"I came to check on Marinette. Do you know where she is?"

Sabine looked around as if Marinette might be in the room with them. "Oh, she probably left for school already. I'd check back around suppertime if you can't find her."

"Her school things are still in her room, and…" he trailed off, looking everywhere except at Sabine Dupain-Cheng.

"And what?"

"So is Emma."

Sabine paused what she was doing. She was trying to remain calm; it was fairly obvious because she was fidgeting with her wedding band nervously.

"I'm sure she'll turn up. She disappears with no explanation every once in a while, but she always comes back. You're more than welcome to swing by later if you'd like, though."

"Thank you, ma'am. Have a good day." Chat Noir left via the front door this time, following a convoluted route that somehow led him to the open window he exited from minutes earlier.

"Claws in." Plagg came flying out of the now-silver ring with a melodramatic sigh and hit the ground. The Kwami was expecting his chosen to catch him as usual, but the kid had other things on his mind.

"Hey! Earth to Adrien! Get to class before you're late. Again." Plagg crossed his tiny arms and hovered in front of Adrien, annoyed.

"Hm? Oh...yeah. Sure." He responded inattentively, almost forgetting his bag on the way to Mme. Bustier's homeroom.

…

Ladybug stirred, coming to, and immediately wished she was unconscious again. Her head ached intensely and her whole body felt stiff, as if she had slept in a strange position. She gathered some little bit of sense and tried to stand up, but two things got in her way. She was far too weak to support her own body weight, she found out as her legs buckled, dropping her back to her knees, and she was also chained to the wall.

Her wrists and ankles were bound in shackles, and even with enhanced strength, they wouldn't budge. The metal they were made from was Cataclysm-worthy, and Ladybug suddenly wanted Chat Noir with her. There was one thing highly unusual about her situation, besides the fact that she was in some random warehouse-type building and chained to the brick wall behind her. She was still Ladybug, and she still had her earrings.

Her very brain ached as she struggled to recall the events of the previous night. She remembered the mysterious, elusive villain, and the sound of her yo-yo gave her chills thinking about it. She remembered the pitch black night, so dark she couldn't see anyone coming. She distinctively recalled calling Chat Noir, who never showed up, but...after that, there was nothing.

But if a villain had knocked her out and brought her here, why did she still have her Miraculous? The question plagued her mind, making it hard to think straight. Maybe Hawk Moth didn't want the Miraculous anymore? Or perhaps...he just didn't want them _yet_. The sun peeked through the tinted glass of the windows to Ladybug's right side, casting an especially harsh glare on the metal of the cuffs that bound her to the wall. One thing was for sure; she wasn't going to make it to school on time.

…

Word had spread like wildfire through the school that there was a villain on the loose, and it seemed like every student, teacher, and staff member in the building was on edge. Alya was looking for someone to share the details with, and immediately thought of Marinette, though she was nowhere to be found. Alya just figured she was late again. It certainly wouldn't be the first time.

That train of thought brought back memories Alya would have preferred to not remember, memories of times when Marinette was her best friend, before Lila came along and changed everything. For a split second, Alya wished Lila never came along, but she shot that down. Lila had changed some things for the better actually.

Alya had a newfound respect for Chloè, who didn't seem half as terrible since Lila, Lila, Pants on Fire (as the class affectionately called her) showed up. Alya also knew never to doubt Marinette, because that girl was somehow right about almost everything, especially things she had no business knowing, like details of Akuma battles across town and specific things about the newest recruits of the Miraculous squad.

The class settled in there seats, and everyone was there, except Marinette. She had a penchant for being late, so Caline Bustier took her time with attendance after the bell rang.

"Agreste, Adrien." Caline called out, reading her list of students' names in alphabetical order. When there was no response, she tried again. "Agreste, Adrien."

Alya could've sworn she saw Adrien come in today. She turned around, spying Adrien in the back of the room, extremely preoccupied. There was a glaze in his eyes similar to Marinette when she was deep in thought.

"Adrien?" Mme. Bustier tried a third time. That seemed to shake the boy from his daze as he blinked repeatedly, his eyes wide and his cheeks flush.

"Hm?"

"I'm doing roll call, Adrien. Please pay attention."

"Oh, sorry. Present." Alya was curious, and she made a mental note to ask Adrien what was up later.

"Chloè?"

"Present." Chloè said from her front-row seat.

Caline only smiled and continued. "Ivan?"

Ivan looked up for a second. "Present." he muttered under his breath.

"Alya?"

"Present."

"Juleka?"

"Here."

"Marinette?" Alya took one last look out the door to see if Marinette was out there, but she wasn't. She opened her mouth to say this, but Adrien beat her to it.

Adrien raised his hand. "Uh...she's not here, Mme. Bustier."

"Alright, then." Caline didn't mark her absent, figuring that Marinette was just late once again.

Mme. Bustier continued with the roll call, but Alya wasn't paying attention. Marinette was late sometimes, but she usually showed up within a few minutes. She would often leave during the day with no explanation for hours at a time, but she usually wasn't very late for school. Every once in a while, though…

Adrien was worried. He knew Marinette wasn't at her house, because he had been there. She wasn't at school, and her own _mother_ didn't know where she was, and that was upsetting. Granted, Adrien did often transform to sneak out of the house at times, but he had a Miraculous and a duty to Paris to protect the citizens from Akumatized villains. Marinette didn't have that kind of responsibility on her shoulders.

Lila was bored that morning. She couldn't get away with lying much anymore, and she couldn't pick on Marinette. If there was one good thing about going to school, it was having some fun messing with Marinette, but her absence set the tone for a very slow, dull day of actual classes. Lila wasn't paying attention; instead, she was thinking about Phase Two, and all of a sudden she couldn't wait to get back home.

…

Ladybug contemplated her options: she could detransform, but whoever brought her here could come back at any time. She could try to use her Lucky Charm, but if that didn't get her out, she would transform back five minutes later anyway. She could try calling for help, but she doubted there was anyone around. There were many options, but nothing was certain to save her.

After a few minutes of pondering, Ladybug decided to call Chat Noir again, or at least text him. Looking down at her waist, though, Ladybug quickly discovered she didn't have her yo-yo with her. She scanned the room and found it atop a table about ten feet away from her, so no way she could reach it. She could activate her Lucky Charm, though. She wasn't sure what good it would do, but it wouldn't do much harm.

"Lucky Charm!" The words echoed off the walls in the large, empty space as the yo-yo began to glow pink and red. An object fell from above it, and as usual, it was strange and seemingly unhelpful.

"A guitar pick?" Ladybug wondered aloud. She glanced around the room, hoping her Lucky Vision worked. It did. _The guitar pick, a Jagged Stone poster, a bracelet._ The vision gave her some items, but nothing that would free her. It was clear that the Lucky Charm was intended to defeat the villain. With a huff, Ladybug heard the first spot on her earrings blink, blink, blink...and disappear.

…

Nino could see his girlfriend's poor mental state from a mile away. Her demeanor had shifted suddenly from being in pensive thought to fidgeting with her hair nervously and glancing at the vacant seat beside her, the seat usually reserved for Marinette. After class, Nino caught up with her to see what was up.

"Hey, Al." He greeted cheerfully but wary of her at the same time. "Everything okay?"

Alya smiled, but it didn't reach her eyes. "Oh, yeah. Just spending too much time in my brain, that's all."

"What were you thinking about?" Nino's voice dropped as he rested a comforting hand on her shoulder.

Alya shook her head, turning it away from him. "Nothing important." Suddenly all of her attention seemed to be focused on the chipping nail polish on her right index finger. "You know, jumping to conclusions without checking my facts. That sort of thing."

"I'm all ears, Al. You know you can talk to me." His hand moved from her shoulder to the small of her back as he rubbed slow, soothing circles on it.

She sighed heavily. "Promise you won't judge?"

"Never. Cross my heart."

"Okay. Well, it's about Marinette."

"Yeah?"

"It's just too much of a coincidence." Alya raised her voice a bit, noticing that the room was empty, save for the two of them. "Yesterday, there was some sort of mysterious...villain….thingy lurking around Paris, and today, Marinette's gone! Now we know no one captured the Akuma or even _saw_ the villain, and...my mind is just running wild with all sorts of crazy things."

Nino rested his fingers on the bridge of his nose. "Look. I know you're worried, and believe me, you have a right to worry, especially after what went down yesterday with the three of you. But maybe, just _maybe_, Marinette's...sick, or...she's on some trip with her parents, or _something_ like that."

Alya took a defensive stance. "Yeah, okay. Why didn't she text me then?"

"Maybe her phone's dead? How am I supposed to know, Alya? Besides, if I was Marinette-"

Alya snickered, interrupting him. "Sorry!" she said in between giggles. "I just...I can't imagine you with pigtails and pink ballet flats."

Nino scoffed goodnaturedly. "_Anyway_ \- if I was Marinette, the first person I'd go after was Lila. Lila's still here, and there's no sign of Marinette anywhere. Villain _or_ civilian."

"Maybe you're right. I'm just worried."

"Why don't you text her? Maybe she's just sick at home." Nino offered.

"What if she doesn't reply? That'll just make me worry _more_. And you and I both know what happens when I worry."

Nino sighed. "Fine. Then go over there after school."

"Okay." Alya pulled out her phone. "I'll still text her, though."

…

_Beep! Beep!_ The last spot on Ladybug's earrings beeped, signaling that it had been five minutes since she used her Lucky Charm. When the spot disappeared, so did the costume, the yo-yo, and the guitar pick, and the red and black earrings were dark red once more. Tikki flew out of Marinette's earring and into her chosen's waiting hands.

"Where are we?" The Kwami asked.

"I don't know, Tikki. And the Lucky Charm didn't help me get out of these." Marinette held up a shackled hand and huffed dejectedly.

"It's okay, Marinette. I'll figure out where we are." Tikki phased through the nearest window and out of Marinette's sight. Marinette looked around for any clues, and found nothing but a bunch of big cardboard boxes and some random things lying around on the floor and the table where Ladybug's yo-yo was formerly. It wasn't much to go off of, and it didn't look familiar. This was a part of Paris Marinette wasn't convinced that she'd been to before.

Tikki flew back through a window and stopped in front of Marinette. "We're right by the catacombs! You can see them up the street."

"The catacombs? Tikki, those are across town from the patisserie! How did we end up here?"

"I don't know for sure, Marinette. But I do know we'll figure something out!"

Marinette tried and failed to reach the bag hanging at her side. "What time is it, Tikki? I can't reach my phone." Tikki flew into the bag. "There's a cookie in there for you, too, if you need it."

"Thank you, Marinette!" Tikki said gratefully, her voice muffled by the fabric of the pouch. "It's half past four. You have one new message."

Marinette sat up slightly. "Who from?"

"I don't know. Your phone has a password on it."

Marinette groaned audibly, _thump_ing her head gently against the wall behind her. This wasn't exactly how she imagined her day going. An idea sparked the back of her mind. She didn't know if it would work, but it was worth a try.

"Tikki, can you unlock the handcuffs? You've done it before when Captain Hardrock locked us up in chains. Can you do it again?"

"Hmm…" Tikki pondered, hovering closer to examine the cuffs. "I don't think so. These are high-security handcuffs, Marinette."

Marinette furrowed her brow in confusion. "What's that supposed to mean?"

"It means the lock can't be picked, so I can't open them." Tikki explained, watching Marinette's expression closely. She could tell her chosen was upset, but who wouldn't be in a situation like that?

With a fierce spark of determination, Marinette asked, "Fueled up, Tikki?"

"Yeah. Why?"

"I want to transform and try to contact Chat Noir with my bugphone. What do you think?"

Tikki shrugged. "It's worth a try."

Marinette smiled. "Tikki, spots on!"

…

School was over, and Lila practically ran home. When she got to the apartment, she was breathing heavily and her long hair was wildly disheveled, but she didn't care one bit. She went down the hall and into her room, sitting perched on the edge of her bed impatiently, anxious for Hawk Moth to send the Akuma back her way.

Lila wasn't dumb, though. She knew Hawk Moth couldn't see her. He sensed negative emotions, and the Akuma wasn't coming until her thoughts were filled with negativity. Lila grabbed her laptop and opened it up to the Ladyblog, reading the latest post about the mysterious villain and followed with a long article about how Ladybug and Chat Noir had been protecting Paris for two years now.

In no time at all, a purple and black butterfly came through the window that Lila left open on purpose and infected her hair tie. A male voice came seemingly out of nowhere, a voice that Lila recognized as belonging to Hawk Moth.

"Ready for Phase Two, Changeling?"

"I'm always ready, Hawk Moth."

"Wonderful. Remember to wish them a happy anniversary from me."

…

To say Adrien was exhausted would have been a vast understatement at that point. The whole day started badly with Marinette being absent from not only school, but her own home. He was still worried and wanted to make sure she was back and safe as usual. After school, he went straight to a photoshoot - the one that was supposed to be that day had been rescheduled, but he still had to do a photoshoot that day - after that he had fencing, then after _that_ he got to rest for a whole twenty minutes before his Chinese tutor showed up.

It was now dinner time, and Adrien had just taken his seat in the gargantuan dining room that probably held close to fifty people, although Adrien had only ever seen his one chair in use. Nathalie set down her tablet for very few things, and serving a meal was one of them. The tablet rested in the safe of Gabriel's office when not in use, safely tucked away in a secret compartment behind a portrait of the "late" Emilie Agreste. That was one thing that Adrien observed a while back.

Dinner was largely uneventful; it might have been delicious if it wasn't so lonely. Adrien enjoyed being alone, but there was a fine line between alone time and loneliness. For months now, he had been teetering on the edge. He secretly wished that there would be a villain on the loose sometime soon just for the sake of getting out of the house - and seeing Ladybug. Fate was on his side that day. Before Adrien could get another bite of his chef's beef bourguignon, a siren sounded in the distance. One immediately recognizable as an Akuma alert.

Adrien shot up out of his chair, knocking it back with more force than he expected. It leaned back too far and toppled over, gaining Nathalie's attention.

Adrien rubbed the back of his neck nervously. "Uhh...I was just...going to my room. If there's a villain on the loose, I should stay inside, yeah?" He didn't wait for a response before continuing. "And while I'm up there, I might as well practice piano. It...it won't play itself, ya know!"

Nathalie raised an eyebrow in vague amusement as Adrien ungracefully snaked past her with a model smile plastered on his face, but she said nothing. If he had a secret, she decided she probably didn't want to know what it was. Helping Gabriel with his Hawk Moth duties was plenty time-consuming, and she didn't really have a choice, seeing as she found out by complete and utter accident. Now she had teamed up with her boss - and sort-of-maybe-love-interest - and she wasn't allowed to quit her job, even if she wanted to, because Gabriel, although he insisted he trusted her, was afraid that she might spill his secrets (yes, plural) given the opportunity.

Adrien raced up to his room as fast as his legs would carry him, and the Gorilla dutifully stepped aside to let him enter his small-stadium-sized room, equipped with so much junk that Adrien would never have to leave the house, for he had everything at his fingertips. Everything except for freedom, love, good old-fashioned human rights, you know, the usual.

Placing his phone on the speaker atop his grand piano, he cued up a playlist of songs he was supposed to know how to play, but rarely got the chance to practice. Plagg was on the couch, gorging himself on Camembert cheese. Adrien could count nearly half a dozen empty wheels, and another one was almost gone. His room permanently smelled of old cheese, but if that was the price of being a superhero, it was one he was willing to pay.

"Plagg, claws out!" Adrien yelled, not bothering to let his Kwami finish his snack. Plagg was sucked into the ring, once more using his Miraculous powers to turn Adrien into Chat Noir. By the command of a remote, a window panel opened, and extending his baton, Chat Noir found himself outside, once again breathing the free air of Paris.

Another thing Chat found was a missed call and a voicemail from his beloved partner, and it was from the day before. Had there been trouble that he was unaware of? Curious, he clicked on the voicemail and held the baton to his ear to hear to message. He couldn't help but smile as Ladybug's voice started speaking to him.

"Hey, Chat." she began. "I don't know where you are, but there's a villain on the loose. All I have to go off of is a sound right now. Meet me by the Place des Vosges as soon as you can. I'll need a helping paw to defeat-" She stopped for a beat, and Chat wondered if that was the end of the message until she started speaking again, voice practically a whisper. "There's the sound. I may have a lead, Chat. Get your tail over here." _Click._

A villain on the loose? The previous night? How did he not notice? That was old news, but Chat was sure he'd get an earful when he caught up with his partner. He headed towards the general path of minor destruction, figuring the beginning was always the best place to start. For now, he had to push any thoughts of his Princess out of his mind, but if he was lucky, he could catch a glimpse of her during the fight.

…

Ladybug realized there was one flaw with her plan to call Chat: she couldn't reach her bugphone, much less open it and try to press the right buttons to call him. Sighing in defeat, she was seconds away from detransforming again, or possibly using her Lucky Charm. Neither option would do her much good, but it was better than just sitting there, feeling useless and sorry for herself.

"Tikki," Ladybug called to her Kwami, not that Tikki could hear her, but who knows? "I think I'm going to transform back. I don't know what I can possibly do just sitting here-" Ladybug froze mid-sentence as a _thump_ sounded on the roof of wherever she was. The _thump_ was followed by a _whoosh_, one too familiar to ignore. It sounded like her yo-yo! It was the same sound she heard moments before blacking out.

A figure clad in red came bursting through the door, and Ladybug soon found herself face to face with...well, _Ladybug_. Her eyes widened as she stared at her mirror image in front of her, and blinked hard to assure herself that she wasn't just seeing things. No, it was very real.

"Who are you?" Ladybug figured it was the safest question to start with.

The doppelgänger replied with a smirk, "I'm you."

"Wel, that clears _that_ up." Ladybug snarked cynically. "Are you like...my evil twin, or something weird like that?"

"No, honey. I'm _you._ At least as far as the rest of Paris is concerned. Oh, by the way," 'Ladybug' said, smiling. "Happy anniversary. From me and your good friend, Hawk Moth." With that, the fake Ladybug zipped away, leaving no evidence that she was actually there in the first place.

Ladybug realized something implied in the words her double had spoken moments earlier. "The rest of Paris? Does...does that include _Chat Noir_?!"

…

Chat Noir found Ladybug perched on the edge of the Tour de Montparnasse, likely waiting for him. He approached her carefully, and she turned around with a smile.

"Hey, Chat!" she greeted him.

"Hey. Listen, sorry I missed your call last night. I wasn't transformed, and I didn't get the voicemail until about ten minutes ago, so...yeah." He hung his head sheepishly, waiting for her to chew him out. What she _did_ do, though, was surprising.

"My voicemail? Oh, no worries. I took care of things."

"Did you find out what the sound was?"

"What sound?"

Chat furrowed his brow. Something was off. "The sound you mentioned in the message. Did you find out what it was?"

"Oh, that sound!" she replied, a bit too enthusiastically. "No, I never did find out what it was."

Chat looked around and saw no more destruction, no panic in the streets, no villain. The trail had ended where he found his partner, and figured she must have already handled things.

"Was there a villain, LB?"

Ladybug's eyes widened, her voice higher pitched than usual. "What? A villain? No, I just wanted to wish you happy anniversary."

Chat grinned at her and wiggled his eyebrows. "That was sweet of you. Well, happy anniversary to you, too, m'lady." He bent slightly at the waist and kissed one of her gloved hands, as per usual. "Well, why don't we call it a night?" he suggested, yawning and stretching.

"Sounds great. I have some other stuff to do anyway. Maybe I'll see you tomorrow?"

"Maybe." Chat said absently. "Okay, see you later." He leapt off the roof, propelling himself back towards his house, struggling to figure out what was different. Just something about Ladybug's body language, her demeanor. Whatever it was, it was different. Before he could make it back to his bedroom window, he changed courses, instead heading towards the Dupain-Cheng patisserie.

…

Changeling discreetly made her way back home once again, feeling proud of herself for fooling Chat Noir into thinking she was Ladybug. She swung through her open bedroom window, Hawk Moth's voice once again sounding as the familiar butterfly-shaped mask lit up her face.

"Tomorrow, we continue Phase Two. So far so good, Changeling. Just be careful."

"Oh, you know me, Hawk Moth. Safety first." Changeling let an evil smirk creep onto her face. Hawk Moth once again renounced the Akuma, reverting the evil magic so it turned white again and flew free of its captivity in her hair tie. Lila smiled, content, ready for the next day. Maybe Marinette would be back by then.

…

Ladybug sighed, fairly certain there would be no more late night doppelgänger visits, and decided there was no use spending the night in costume.

"Spots off." Tikki flew out of Marinette's earrings once more. "There's another macaron in my bag for you, but I think that might be it. I don't know how long we'll be here, but you'll have to try to save up."

"Thank you, Marinette." Tikki said appreciatively, though it was more subdued than the time before.

Marinette was tired. She wanted to go home, eat dinner, and do her homework. In fact, she would have been more than happy to change ten million dirty diapers at that point. Her parents were probably wondering where she was, and so was Alya, but there was nothing Marinette could do about that. All she could do was sit and wait.

…

By half past eleven, Alya was frantic. She refused to go home until she heard something, and panicked tears were rapidly streaming down her cheeks. Not even a cup of Sabine's special tea could cure her. Apparently, Chat Noir had dropped by that morning looking for Marinette. Her stuff was all still in her room, including Emma, whom Sabine had been responsible for that day, along with working in the bakery. No one had seen her, she wouldn't answer any texts or calls, nothing.

At that point, Tom, Sabine, Alya, and Chat Noir were seated at the kitchen table in the Dupain-Cheng apartment, anxiously hoping a phone would ring with any news about her. All four had called around; nobody was with her and nobody had seen her since the day prior. She wasn't at any of her classmates' houses, she wasn't with Nadja and Manon, she wasn't at the park, she wasn't at the zoo. They must have called just about every business in town with no luck.

Finally, Tom decided to call the one place they hadn't tried. "Hello. This is Tom Dupain. May I speak to Officer Roger, please?" After a moment of silence, "Officer? This is Tom Dupain. Our daughters are in the same class in school." _Pause._ "Yes, well, that's what I wanted to talk to you about." _Pause._ "I'd like to file a missing persons report."


	15. Chapter 15

**Author's Notes: Sorry once again for the delay! Finals are creeping closer and closer *sigh* and I might have to go back to updating once or (hopefully) twice a week *double sigh*. Thank you for all of your patience with this story, and I hope I can make up for it with some good chapters. Love ya! **

**Also, I will give you one clue for this chapter: FORESHADOWING! I would suggest going back to this chapter after I finish the story to see if you can find it. I feel so evil doing what I'm doing…**

**Aaaaaand, one more thing while I'm at it. There will be season 3 episode spoilers in these chapters, so BEWARE! In this chapter especially, there may be mentions of Boulangerix (Bakerix for English) and Oni-Chan. **

**Day 14**

Marinette Dupain-Cheng was fairly famous in Paris. If people hadn't had the pleasure of tasting a Dupain-Cheng pastry, they likely knew some of the teenager's professional pieces. She had designed a derby hat for Gabriel Agreste, a feat that made the news, an album cover for Jagged Stone, and she was, at that point, working on a summer clothing line for Gabriel's company.

She was well known by Mayor Bourgeois and his wife, Audrey, Gabriel and Adrien Agreste, rock star Jagged Stone, and many, many other prominent figures. Because of this, it was no surprise that the whole town was swarming with news of the girl's disappearance, even in the wee hours of the morning. Calls had been streaming in since the missing persons report was released to the public, and practically the entire police force was milling in and around the patisserie, scouring every square inch of space for clues.

The whole ordeal in itself was more stressful than Adrien's brief absence on Christmas night, because not only were less people involved, but the boy showed up back at his house within the hour. On the contrary, Marinette had been missing for almost a full day, perhaps more. She hadn't showed up for school that morning, and no one had heard from her since the previous night.

Chat Noir knew as of about eight that morning that she was gone, and her parents had seen her the night before. Neither Tom or Sabine was disturbed by any noises during the night, and there seemed to be no logical way of contacting her because her phone was still in her bedroom. The only hope seemed to be posting up notices everywhere around town and on the news, hoping someone would come forward with information.

However, the only information that Officer Roger had to go off of was the ephemeral villain that passed through early - very early - the morning prior. No evidence suggested that the villain had been defeated, and the only other possible answer seemed to be - well, people felt guilty for even _thinking_ that the sweet, optimistic, angel of a teenage girl could ever be Akumatized, and certainly no one knew why. Or at least, those who _did_ know refused to admit it to Tom and Sabine.

Officer Roger suggested trying to contact Ladybug. As a team, she and Chat Noir could search the city, and if by some chance Marinette _had_ been Akumatized, they could purify the Akuma and call off the search party. Chat Noir tried to call her, but to no avail.

"She must not be transformed." he concluded, glancing to the others in the room. Then, he turned back to his catphone and left her a voicemail. "Hey, LB. I'm at the Dupain-Cheng patisserie. The address is...uh...12 Rue Gotlib." Chat paused, turning to Sabine, who gave him an affirmative nod. "It's across from the Place des Vosges. Come as soon as you can. I need your help."

He clicked his baton shut, returning it to the loop at the small of his back, and turned around, standing akimbo. Sabine sighed, a desolate expression on her face, as Emma began to cry again. It had been fourteen years since she had to take care of a baby. Tom, sensing her dismay, put his arm comfortingly around her shoulder.

…

Lila slept peacefully that night, and she didn't know why. She wasn't aware of the torment she had put a large percentage of the city through, but perhaps knowing she had disrupted the city's usual routine somehow eased her mind. Routine was boring, after all, and she didn't want everyone to get in a rut. An occasional spike of adrenaline spiced things up. She was thrown out of whatever dream she was having by her mother knocking furiously on her bedroom door.

"Lila?" Clara called. "Wake up, honey. I have to talk to you."

"Mmmph." Lila groaned into her pillow, scowling.

"Come on, love. It's important." she pleaded, trying to coax her half-conscious daughter out of bed.

Lila sat up with a huff. "What is it?"

"It's your friend Marinette, dear. She's missing." Lila shot out of bed and opened the door to see her mother, concern etched on her face.

"Missing?" Lila assured, hoping her mother couldn't sense the joy in her voice.

"Yes. I thought you might want to know. I'm going to visit her parents at the patisserie if you want to come along."

"Uh...no thanks, Mom. I'll wait here and call you if I hear anything." Clara smiled faintly, placing an affectionate kiss on her daughter's forehead, secretly glad it wasn't her own daughter that was missing.

"_Ciao, bella_. Stay safe."

"I will."

"Promise?"

Lila rolled her eyes and smirked. "Promise." Once Lila heard the door open and shut and the key lock the door, her smirk widened into a grin of pure joy. Deviously, she stalked across the room and removed her laptop from its charger, sitting back down on her bed with an evil cackle that could compete with Hawk Moth's. _One down, one to go._

Seconds later, a purple and black butterfly phased through Lila's bedroom window, and she welcomed it with open arms. It flew into her hair tie, opening communications with her dear friend, Hawk Moth. Her heart pounded with adrenaline as the geometric mask glowed in front of her eyes in the shape of a butterfly.

"Did you hear the news, Changeling? Perhaps Ladybug should lend a hand in this investigation. What do you say?"

"I wouldn't miss this story for the world, Hawk Moth." The dark magic enveloped her as soon as the words came out of her mouth, and Lila was once again replaced with Changeling.

While Lila was mean and would kidnap Ladybug to get revenge, she wasn't inhumane and she certainly wasn't a murderer. Besides, she needed Ladybug as bait in case Chat Noir figured her out. Using the yo-yo that came with her costume, she quickly swung by a delicatessen on Avenue René Coty. It was on her way to the warehouse, next to the catacombs.

"Hey, Théo." she greeted, casually walking through the door. Théo Barbot was Paris' odd job man. He was an artist and a sculptor, but that didn't bring him much of an income, so he found work where he could get it. If that included being a janitor for a restaurant, then so be it.

He dropped his broom with a _clang_ as the metal handle made contact with the tile flooring.

"Ladybug?" he asked, incredulous, quickly retrieving the broom. "W-why are you here?" Lila almost felt bad for the man, having a crush on the superheroine and not knowing how to act when she suddenly showed up. Yeah, she almost felt bad for him. Almost.

"I need some food STAT. I really have to rush, but I'll pay you back when I have time to swing by."

"O-oh, that's okay. You can pay us back whenever you can." Théo looked around nervously. "Maribel - Mme. Beaumont, that is - she isn't in right now. Can I get you something?"

"Just get me...let's see...how about a Parisian burger, a goat cheese salad, and...why don't you throw in a chocolate milkshake?"

Théo scribbled the order down in a notebook. "Okay. It'll be a few minutes. Can you wait that long?"

"Yeah, I think so. Just not any longer."

"Got it." With that, he disappeared into the back of the restaurant.

Changeling waited for a minute, looking around at the artistry of the small place. It was a hole-in-the-wall sort of restaurant, the kind that always had the best food, including hand-spun milkshakes. She had been there - as Lila - a handful of times, so she knew it had pretty fast service.

A sudden chill went up her spine as the butterfly mask appeared in front of her eyes and Hawk Moth's menacing voice echoed throughout her body.

"I know what you're doing, Changeling. Just don't lose sight of the objective. You're on track."

Changeling merely nodded as Théo finished her order and came barreling ungracefully through the door to the kitchen with a bag and a cup. He smiled nervously, handing her the bag.

"Here you go."

"Thanks," Changeling said nonchalantly. "It's for a friend."

"Oh?" Théo slid the milkshake over the counter.

Changeling nodded. "Yeah," She grabbed the milkshake and took a sip. "This one's for me. See ya!" She zipped off on her yo-yo, careful not to spill anything.

Théo stared after the red and black clad superheroine until she was out of view and blew her a kiss. "Yeah. See ya."

…

Marinette was jolted awake by a familiar _thump_ on the roof at some god-awful hour of the morning.

"Tikki?" The Kwami shot out of her chosen's bag with a squeal.

"What is it?"

"Shh! Someone's here. I gotta transform." Marinette lowered her voice to a barely audible whisper. "Tikki, spots on!"

It wasn't a moment too soon, as the doppelgänger from the day before landed in Ladybug's midst once again.

Ladybug sighed. "You again? Who the hell are you?"

The double merely smiled. "I told you already. I'm you."

"My patience is wearing pretty thin with you. You're the one who brought me here, aren't you?"

"I don't know, am I?" The double placed a bag on Ladybug's lap.

Ladybug arched an eyebrow. "Beaumont's, huh? Classy."

"Only the best for my little pest. Gotta split. Bug out!"

"Don't patronize me!" Ladybug yelled as the doppelgänger zoomed off, and the words simply bounced off the walls.

Dejected, she mumbled, "Spots off." The pink glow chased up to the top of her head, and Tikki flew out of Marinette's earring.

"We have to alert Chat Noir about your double, Marinette!"

"Okay, how?" Marinette huffed, leaning her head back against the wall.

"I don't know, but we'll find a way. I promise!"

"Well, that'll have to wait. If you help me get the food out of the bag, I'll share. I don't know if I have more macarons for you, but at least you can fuel up."

Tikki squeaked in delight. "Thank you!"

...

Alya was sitting in a chair, her leg bouncing nervously as she fidgeted with the chipped nail polish on her fingers. She still hadn't left, and no matter how many times her parents or Nora called her, she absolutely refused to leave.

Alya loved Marinette furiously, and wanted nothing more in that moment than to wrap her up in a big hug and apologize for being a crappy friend. She noticed Chat Noir looking at her cautiously, and immediately scanned the room with her eyes, careful not to make eye contact. She didn't need anyone feeling sorry for her.

However, Chat Noir couldn't ignore her dismal state. "Hey." he said, squatting down to look her in the eyes. "We're going to find Marinette. I promise."

Alya looked uncertain. Crossing her arms, she faced the superhero. "That's really cliché, you know?"

"It may be, but it's the truth."

"How can you be so sure?" Alya tested, tears beginning to well in her eyes.

Chat looked around, struggling to come up with the right words to comfort her. Okay, yeah, he wasn't _positive_, but he wasn't going to admit that to Alya.

"Have I ever failed before?" _Damn it, Agreste._ he thought to himself. _Couldn't you have said literally anything else?_

"Well, it took you two tries to beat Stoneheart."

Chat straightened up, adopting a defensive stance. "Oh, come on. That was our first time fighting!" he protested.

"So? Let's see...you didn't even _show_ when Ladybug was battling Style Queen. She was left fighting a villain by herself."

"True, but-"

"Okay, what about Copycat? I distinctly remember Ladybug telling me something about you getting caught. How about Dark Cupid, or Puppeteer, or Princess Fragrance, or Despair Bear, or-"

Chat threw his hands up in surrender. "Okay! Okay, fine. If I didn't have Ladybug, I wouldn't be here right now. I get it."

"Ditto." A voice from somewhere near the door spoke, and everyone swiveled around to face the door. It was strange, though. Nobody heard the bell ring, but they must have just been caught up in the adrenaline of the night.

Chat's eyes widened a considerable amount upon seeing their visitor. "Ladybug?"

"That's me." she said, smirking.

Chat Noir walked over to his partner, a concerned expression on his face. "Did you get my message?"

Ladybug blinked, processing the question. "Uh...yeah. Yeah, I got it, but I didn't respond. Figured it was best to just head right over, you know?"

"Well, at least you're here. I need your help."

"Right. A girl - Marinette, right? - is missing. I'm on it."

Chat Noir's face scrunched up in confusion. "How did you know? That wasn't part of the message."

"I know things, Chat. Don't you trust me?"

"Well, we can't waste any more time. Let's get going."

"Of course."

…

Ladybug sighed. "Well, Chat Noir, I don't know. We've been searching for two hours and nothing. Not even a lead of any sort." She looked out over the city as she stood atop the Montparnasse Tower.

Chat gaped at his partner. "We can't give up, m'lady! We have to find her." Ladybug turned around, cocking her head slightly to the side.

"Why does it matter to you so much?"

"Well, I-I...sh-she's a civilian, right? We're supposed to care about all of them! I don't care about her more than other people necessarily, but everyone in Paris is supposed to be our top priority. I mean, you know, if something were to happen I would be held accountable because it's my duty as a superhero to ensure the safety of-"

Ladybug cut him off, putting her hands up in surrender. "Geez! Calm down! You're starting to sound like Marinette. You _sure_ you haven't been hanging around her?"

"I visited her a couple times, yeah, but you know about the baby. I couldn't just ditch her! So I dropped by her balcony once or twice. So what? It's not like I _like_ her or anything. I mean, I _like_ her, but not, you know-"

"I get it." Ladybug smirked, resting a hand on her hip. "We're really not making any progress with this investigation, though. Why don't we let the police search for now and revisit it this evening?"

Chat looked skeptical, but agreed nonetheless. "Okay. I'll call you when I have time and we can meet up."

"Wait! Why don't we just...set a time and a place? That way we won't have to worry about calls. It'll be easier that way."

"There's nothing wrong with calling, m'lady. You can call me if that makes you feel better."

"Why don't we meet at...say, seven?"

Chat sighed, looking at his partner. "I guess so. Let's meet at our spot. We can regroup and come up with a battle plan."

"But-"

"See you then, LB." Chat winked at Ladybug and took off, extending his baton to propel him across town.

"Yeah." Ladybug said once he was out of sight. "We'll see."

…

"I don't know, Plagg. Something isn't right." Adrien paced impatiently around his room. The search had been postponed after a few hours and no results, not even a clue as to where Marinette might have gone.

"Just because your Princess is missing?" Plagg shook his disproportionately large head.

Adrien pouted. "Well, no, I-"

"Kid, you might want to listen up, because this is one of the few pieces of advice I'll ever give you. You can't go jumping to hasty conclusions without proof. You just need to relax."

"Thanks, Plagg. That means a lot." Adrien said sincerely, though it was too sappy for Plagg's tastes.

"Yeah, yeah. Go get ready for school before your head gets bitten off by that nosy assistant."

"Gotcha."

…

Changeling landed back in her room, and not a moment too soon, as the key turned in the lock to the front door.

"Lila? I'm back, honey!"

Changeling looked around frantically. With a voice that sounded like Ladybug, she couldn't answer her mom without arousing suspicions.

"Lila?" Clara called again.

The glowing mask appeared in front of Changeling's eyes once more.

"Until tonight. Don't blow your cover."

"How am I supposed to know where their spot is?" Changeling whispered frantically. "Damn phone doesn't intercept any calls or messages, and I don't have the GPS tracking thingamajig either!"

"Use your resources, Changeling. You must go to school so it doesn't look suspicious." Hawk Moth outstretched his arms and renounced the Akuma again. It was a risky plan, but if anyone could do it, it was Lila. History had been made the day before, when Lila teamed up with the Akumatized villain to defeat Ladybug. Of course, it was another failure, but Hawk Moth was closer to the Miraculouses than ever before. There was no way he could lose, especially with a plan like the one he had now.

"Lila, are you home, honey?"

Once Lila was sure her own voice was back, she answered. "Uh...yeah, Mom, I'm here!"

"Great! I hope you're almost ready. Wouldn't want to be late for school!"

"Right. Of course, Mom."

"I have to hurry, but I'll see you tonight. I love you!"

Lila sighed dejectedly. "Love you, too." Of _course_ her mother was working late again. What else was new?

…

It was a very uneventful day at school. Marinette wasn't there, obviously, and Alya refused to leave the Dupain-Cheng patisserie, much less go to school. Nino pretended to go to school, but he really just went across the street to be with his girlfriend. Nathaniel and Rose were both sick, and Chloè just "didn't feel like going," though she wouldn't admit she was worried about Marinette. Sabrina, on the other hand, went to Chloè's house to try and make her feel better. Then there was Alix, who claimed to be going to a rollerblading competition, but nobody really checked to see if it was true.

Mme. Bustier's homeroom looked pretty pathetic when only slightly less than half of the class showed up for school. Not even Mssr. Damocles showed up until half-past nine. No one - including the teachers - felt like doing anything, and Mme. Bustier said there was no sense in teaching a class for seven people. Needless to say, nothing of real value got done, and the students walked away knowing nothing new, either school related or having to do with Marinette.

The people who were in class, however, spent the majority of the day giving Lila the stink eye. Everyone had it out for her since the fight she had with Alya (and Marinette, technically), but Lila was determined to show the class who was boss. Being Changeling gave her an excellent way to get to Marinette's balcony, and the disappearance of the aforementioned girl gave her a perfect excuse to go into her room. Stealing that diary would be a piece of cake.

Sure, Hawk Moth warned her that her personal business had to come second, but after she retrieved the Miraculous earrings from Ladybug and the ring from Chat Noir, she could deal with Marinette. It would be a cinch to get, and there had to be _something_ reputation-ruining in there if she kept it locked up all the time. Lila just had to figure out what it was.

…

Around five in the evening, Marinette and Tikki shared the part of the burger from Beaumont's that they hadn't eaten earlier, voting to save the salad in case they got hungry later on. There was no telling how long they would be in the warehouse, or how long it would be until Ladybug #2 showed up again with more food.

Marinette groaned. "This is more difficult than getting my grandpa to show up for my dad's birthday! I'm so bored!" She rested her head on the wall again, huffing melodramatically.

Tikki remained unimpressed. "Cheer up, Marinette! We'll find a way out!"

"But how?"

"I don't really know...but when you figure it out, you'll know! In the meantime, don't lose hope. That's all we have left."

Marinette pondered her Kwami's words. "You're right, Tikki. I just have to think positive. If I know Chat Noir, he won't rest until he figures out what's going on. I trust him enough to know that he thinks something's wrong."

Tikki grinned. "Exactly! Everything will work out eventually, Marinette." The Kwami retreated to her usual resting place in her chosen's bag, but her tranquility was interrupted by a vibration.

"What is it, Tikki?"

"It's a news flash!" Tikki grunted, trying to tap the notification. "I...can't...click on it."

Marinette giggled. "Hold it up. I'll get it." The Kwami hoisted the phone out of her chosen's bag, and Marinette tapped the alert with her nose.

"_Don't be bemused; it's just the news." _Nadja Chamack's voice came out of the phone, a welcome change to the usual silence. "_A local girl by the name of Marinette Dupain-Cheng has been missing since early last morning. Her parents, the owners of the Dupain-Cheng patisserie are still on the lookout, and they encourage anyone with information to step forward. Chat Noir, a friend of Marinette's, has also been searching for her, and he has a message for someone."_ The camera panned over to reveal none other than Marinette's quirky, loveable partner, Chat Noir.

"_Uh...hi. Listen, Ladybug and I, we don't really know what, if anything, you're doing in...sorry. Danger is but...just, please...I know nothing you can't trust with me, and love everything you have."_

Tikki wrinkled her nose. "What was that all about?"

Marinette grinned. "It was code, Tikki. Take every second word."

"Hmm...hi, Ladybug, I, don't, know, if, you're, in, danger, but, please, know, you, trust, me, love, you."

"Put them all together now."

"Hi, Ladybug. I don't know if you're in danger, but please know you trust me. Love you." Tikki's face dawned in realization. "Ah! I get it!"

"Exactly. He used a code so the fake Ladybug wouldn't intercept the message. And I _do_ trust him. He's never lied to me before; why should he start now?"

"That means he _has_ figured it out. At least partially."

Marinette nodded. "I could kiss that cat."

…

After another hour-long search with no new leads, Adrien landed in his bedroom and let his transformation drop as he flopped face first onto his bed. Plagg came spinning out of his ring and onto the pillow beside him with a yawn.

"Do you think she'll show up, Plagg?"

"Which Ladybug are you talking about?"

"Well, the one I've been with for the past couple of days. If the real Ladybug saw the news, she would've gotten my message. I hope she's alright."

"I have news for you, kid."

Adrien sat up eagerly. "Really? What?"

Plagg waggled a stub at his chosen. "Cheese first, ask questions later."

"You know where it is."

"Yup." Plagg zipped off to the cabinet where the Camembert lived, deciding he would gorge himself on cheese before stating the obvious.

"Adrien!" Nathalie called, knocking on his bedroom door and opening it a crack. "Time for dinner. Your Chinese lesson was rescheduled for tomorrow because your tutor is sick. Other than that, you have no engagements except for practicing the piano. And Adrien," she lowered her voice to a tone only he could hear. "Please don't sneak out. If you do, just...promise you won't be long. I don't want your father to find out.

"I'm in enough trouble after I let your friend in to help you with your math, and I don't need you escaping under my watch. I don't mind that you go out sometimes, but your father can't find out. Please." She squeezed his shoulder gently and smiled a little bit before exiting, an expression hovering there that Adrien rarely saw cross her face. Understanding? Love? Who knew?

Adrien passed Nathalie on his way to the dining room and grinned at her, although her professional demeanor was back by then. The very twinge of a smile threatened to show itself on her lips, but she simply arched an eyebrow and walked away. Adrien smiled to himself, though, knowing it was their little secret. As a matter of fact, he _would_ be sneaking out that night.

…

Lila played with her dinner - leftovers from the fridge, of course, from a night long ago when Clara was home to cook - for about thirty minutes, carefully watching the clock. She wanted some time to scope out a possible meeting spot before she and Chat Noir continued their investigation to find Marinette. It was twenty minutes to seven, and Lila took one last look at the unappetizing plate of food in front of her before forgoing it in favor of anything else. She would rather starve than eat another plate of leftover...whatever it was.

She went into her room to find the butterfly already waiting by her bed. Holding out a finger for it to land, she guided it to her hair tie, the perfect place for an Akuma. It was a small enough difference that no one had noticed, and if they had, they didn't say anything about it. Lila decided that she would begin Phase 3 the next day. It would take a little time.

"Changeling, are you prepared to begin Phase 3?" Hawk Moth's deep voice rang through her head, suspiciously familiar, as though she had heard it outside of being Akumatized. Whatever it was, Lila shook it off.

"I am, Hawk Moth. It should go off without a hitch."

Hawk Moth steepled his fingers. "Very well. Carry out this part of the plan and gain as much trust as possible from Chat Noir and all the citizens. But be careful."

Lila rolled her eyes. "Yeah, yeah. I know. I will."

…

Chat Noir spotted Ladybug coming with his heightened senses, and he wasn't going to play nice anymore. He was certain something was up, and to figure it out, well, he might have to trick her. The superhero picked up his pace, noticing Ladybug getting smaller and smaller as she struggled to keep up. Chat dropped down into and alley, and accidentally into a dumpster with an _oof_. Let's just say...sometimes Chat really didn't like the whole heightened senses thing.

Digging himself out of the trash and brushing his arms and legs off, Chat continued eluding Ladybug for a while until stopping. It wasn't "their spot", but he made that up anyway. It was part of his own plan to figure out not only what happened to Marinette, but what happened to the real Ladybug. The coincidence was that the two of them had disappeared around the same time, and it really sucked. Those were his two favorite girls.

Ladybug found her partner perched atop the Arc de Triomphe, looking around as if waiting for her. She landed, pleased with herself that she had found the right spot, and Chat's ears perked up, sensing that he had a visitor.

"Hey, Chat."

"You're late." he said, standing up with his arms crossed. "That's not like you, LB. Are you feeling alright?"

Ladybug was taken aback. "Yeah. I'm fine. Wh-why do you ask?"

"I don't know. You just seem...different, that's all. I'm sure it's nothing. Ready to get searching?"

"Of course." Ladybug said with a strained smile. Chat Noir was catching on. She would have to start Phase 3 as soon as possible.

…

Ladybug yawned, stretching her arms. The duo was only a couple minutes away from the Arc de Triomphe where they first began. They had made almost a complete patrol of the city and found nothing to go off of.

"I don't know, Chat. Maybe we ought to leave this to the police."

Chat stared at her, gaping. "No, m'lady. We can't do that! This is important to me, and to Paris. It's not like you to give up so quickly."

"Well, either way, I'm tired and it's been _hours_, Chat. I'm ready to turn in."

"Fine. You can go, but I'm going to keep searching."

Ladybug put a hand on her partner's shoulder. "Don't stress about it too much. We'll find her. You'll see. I'll meet you bright and early tomorrow morning, though. Okay?"

"Okay." Chat mumbled, trying to sound sad, though he knew it wasn't the real Ladybug standing in front of him. All the signs were there. And when he went home, he would sleep better knowing he had caught an imposter. Now all that was left was to find the real Ladybug. Maybe she knew where Marinette was.

Ladybug smiled. "Awesome. Bug out!" She caught her yo-yo on a tree branch and swung off into the distance. Chat Noir went the opposite direction, and he couldn't wait for the next day.

…

Marinette sighed, her every word and breath echoing back to her from the depths of...wherever she was. It was a race to the finish, as Chat Noir had likely figured out that his "partner" wasn't the real Ladybug, and whoever was impersonating her was probably planning something huge. It felt awful that Marinette couldn't reach anyone, let them know that she was okay. If only Chat Noir knew that _she_ was Ladybug, he wouldn't spend his days and nights looking for two seperate people.

Tikki had fallen asleep in her chosen's bag, but Marinette couldn't sleep. Her mind was racing with thoughts as her gut told her that the end of all this was coming soon. She didn't know exactly what was happening or when, but there was an undeniable, unshakable feeling that something big was about to take place. It was like preparing for the apocalypse. No one knew when it was coming or just how to get ready for it, but it was indisputable. It _was_ going to happen, sooner or later.

As Marinette looked around, she saw the same objects she had seen time and time again, taunting her with their foreverness, reminding her that some things never change. As she stared out the only window that wasn't glazed over, she could have sworn she saw her kitty go by, totally unaware that both of the people he was searching for were right under his nose. And as she drifted off to sleep, her mind filled with the idle thoughts of pastries, friendships, crushes...oh, what she wouldn't give to be back, sailing over the rooftops, fighting villains with her lovable dork of a partner.


	16. Chapter 16

**Author's Notes: We are almost halfway there, and it's the end of the Changeling saga (sort of)! I've never had a story this long or received so much positive feedback and support, so there's accomplishment #1. My game plan currently is to be done by the end of July (cross your fingers). Thank you all for reading (and for being so patient while I take an eternity to update)!**

**Sorry that I didn't describe how Ladybug used the Lucky Charm to defeat Changeling, but I came up empty after almost a week of racking my brain for a viable strategy and knew I had to just write something down, no matter how functional it actually was (happy, Moonwa1ker?) so I could publish this chapter.**

**Aaaaaand new strategy! The length of this chapter was getting out of hand, so I split it into two parts. The entire document is currently about thirty-five pages long, and that's just a lot. Factor in the fact that I haven't published in almost two months, and...yeah. So here's part one of the end of the Changeling saga(?)**

**Update: I'm out of school! I took a hiatus (I know, there's really no excuse except for my own laziness, so I won't even try to get out of it), but I'm back with me longest chapter thus far, and since the last update, Silencer, Bakerix, Oni-Chan, Miraculer, and Timetagger came out (all in English dub!), plus Gamer 2.0 in French. Once more, if you don't want spoilers, you might not want to read this, because THERE ARE SPOILERS! There. Can't say I didn't warn you.**

**Day 13**

"I wonder what Future Ladybug would think of me. I mean, being in this situation," Marinette mused aloud, stirring Tikki from her slumber shortly before sunup. The Kwami phased slowly out of her chosen's bag and came to a rest, hovering in front of Marinette's face.

"Future Ladybug has made mistakes, you know. After all, she's you, and you've made mistakes. But obviously, you learned from them, or there wouldn't be a Future Ladybug or a Future Chat Noir."

"Or a Future Hawk Moth," Marinette mumbled. "Besides, Bunnix - I mean, Future Alix - said she was a last resort when everyone else failed. Does that mean I'll have to use other Miraculouses in the future?"

Tikki pondered for a moment. "You may have to branch out some, mostly depending on what type of villain you're called upon to defeat. Hawk Moth will get stronger, Marinette. It's inevitable. But so will you. And once we get out of here, you can defeat the other Ladybug and everything will be back to normal."

"We'll need to get back fast, though."

"Why, Marinette?"

Marinette swallowed, feeling tears welling up behind her eyes. She closed her eyes in an attempt to keep the tears back, but a couple threatened to spill out nonetheless.

"I can't handle Chat Noir getting hurt again. Not on my watch. The fake Ladybug can't employ the Miraculous cure to fix him, and she wouldn't even if she could. Besides, defeating Miraculer took the whole team, including Queen Bee, who we swore we would never use again."

"You needed her, Marinette."

Marinette sighed. "I know, but it's getting to be a bigger risk. Even Rena Rouge and Carapace are so blinded by their love for each other that they got Akumatized. Hawk Moth is getting desperate, and it's dangerous. For all of us."

"You and Chat Noir may not understand now, but that's why you mustn't reveal your identities yet. Hawk Moth is jeopardizing everyone's safety by using the civilians he knows have Miraculouses against the team." Tikki stared at the wall, a wistful look in her eyes. "Every once in a while, Plagg and I will have owners accidentally reveal themselves, and we've had a couple pairs ignore our warnings altogether. Most of them didn't make it very far as superheroes."

"That's it!" Marinette yelled, her own voice bouncing back from various echo points in the room. "You can contact Plagg, or Master Fu, or _somebody_. Go get Chat Noir's civilian form for all I care. You can direct him over, I'll transform, and he can let me out, then-"

_Thump._ The familiar sound of footsteps on the roof derailed Marinette's train of thought as she frantically turned back to Tikki.

"Spots on," she whispered, and not a moment too soon, the rose glow of the transformation chasing down to her toes as the fake Ladybug landed in front of the real one.

"Who were you talking to?"

"No one," Ladybug responded sternly, fire blazing in her eyes. She had never hated someone as much as she hated the girl standing before her.

Ladybug #2 merely smiled. "Hmm. Sounds to me like you were trying to come up with an escape plan. Not a wise idea, bug."

"Yeah? What do you plan to do about it?"

"Soon enough, it won't matter. I'll have your Miraculous and Chat Noir's, and all of it will be over." The look in 'Ladybug's' eyes had all the sweetness of a serial killer.

Ladybug scowled. "We'll _never_ give up our Miraculous. Especially not to a copycat like you."

The doppelgänger giggled. "As far as Paris is concerned, _I'm_ Ladybug. And _you_…" she jabbed a finger into the superheroine's chest. "...are the copycat." She turned to leave, but stopped, pivoting halfway around to face the real Ladybug. "Good luck, Bug Eyes."

Marinette internally flipped her off and snarled at the receding figure. There was never a good way to tell when "Ladybug" would pop in for a surprise incident, and the sheer lack of obliviousness that the villain had was infuriating. She never gave away too much information about her plan, where her Akuma was, or really anything, so the real Ladybug had no leads to follow. The whole thing was just totally annoying, especially the feeling of helplessness, knowing there really was nothing to do except rely on Chat Noir.

Chat Noir who always took the blows, who literally got Cataclysmed defending the team, who was always there with a helping hand and a smile to lift her spirits, even if he wasn't really happy, who pretended like her rejection wasn't painful, who was her partner and friend.

It wasn't that she didn't trust him, but she just felt guilty for always relying on him and not giving him anything in return.

Ladybug sighed, confident that her double was gone. "Spots off."

…

Adrien tossed and turned, restless and unable to focus on anything except the fact that two of the most important people in his life were missing. Okay, sure, so Ladybug wasn't missing, but it felt like she was. She was just acting so different recently. Adrien could barely handle going to school, much less all of his extracurriculars and late-night searches for Marinette with "Ladybug."

His efforts to sleep soundly were futile, so around two in the morning he jolted Plagg awake and summoned the Kwami's powers.

"What is it, kid?" Plagg yawned, stretching. "If it isn't cheese, an emergency, or Tikki, I'm going back to sleep."

"Well...wait-who's Tikki?"

Plagg's eyes widened. "Nothing. No one. I didn't say anything of the sort. Get me some cheese!" The Kwami crossed his tiny arms stubbornly, swerving the conversation in a different direction.

"No time for cheese." Adrien waggled a finger at Plagg.

"But it's always time for-"

"Plagg, claws out!"

"I want cheeeeeese!" The Kwami protested, getting sucked into his chosen's Miraculous ring.

Adrien - newly transformed into Chat Noir again - leapt out of the window in his bedroom, the one that was always open despite the weather. Nathalie and The Gorilla often gave him funny looks, especially when rain or snow came into his room through the window, but neither of them brought it up. Adrien figured if Nathalie knew he snuck out regularly, The Gorilla probably did too.

Chat didn't really know what the point of transforming at that hour of the morning was, but he thought perhaps taking a break from trying to sleep and getting some fresh air would do him good. Except...his heightened senses and night vision detected a silhouette emerging from a building across the city. A red and black spotted silhouette that could only be one person. Ladybug. The only thing Chat didn't know was whether it was _his_ Ladybug or the one he had been working with for a couple of days.

From his distance, it was nearly impossible to tell which building Ladybug was coming out of, so Chat decided to tail her (no pun intended). Her lack of nighttime vision, superior senses, and instincts gave him the edge on the chase, but he would still have to be careful. He didn't know who he was dealing with.

…

Changeling bounded out of the warehouse with a spring in her step, ready to enact Phase Three once the sun was up. At the moment, she was heading to the Dupain-Cheng patisserie with a glimmer of hope that the trapdoor on the balcony would be open. If it was, she could scope the room for a diary of some sort. She wouldn't take it just yet. No, not until the investigation was over. But she could at least place it in case she had to retrieve it in a hurry.

What Changeling was unaware of was the presence of a certain curious feline. At least...until Hawk Moth alerted her of it.

"You're doing well, Changeling. Just be alert. You must be on watch at all times for anyone who might be following you."

"At this hour? Come on, seriously?" Changeling whispered, not daring to interrupt the slumber of civilians in the buildings below her feet. Still, although the chance was small that someone else was out and about, she skillfully snuck a peek behind her. If she hadn't been paying close attention, Changeling never would have noticed the silhouette of her sneaky feline partner keeping watch from a distance, his eyes glimmering under the light of the moon.

The current situation wasn't ideal, but she could make it that way. She slowed her pace gradually, noticing the whisper-quiet footfalls fast approaching on the rooftops. Without turning around or letting Chat Noir know she saw him, she paused.

"Curiosity killed the cat, you know."

A few more treads, and his voice was clear as day. "But satisfaction brought it back. Where are you going so early, m'lady?"

Still not facing him, Changeling continued. "Where are _you_ going?"

"You're avoiding the question."

"You're avoiding mine, too." A devious smile played at her lips. "I was going to do a little more investigating at the patisserie. You're welcome to join me."

"I was _cat_ching a breath of fresh air, but I may as well tag along."

"Hmm..._purr_haps that wouldn't be a bad idea, kitten," she hummed, turning halfway to face her partner, whose face was now adorned with a somewhat strained smile.

"Okay," Chat sighed, trying to stay in character. "I'll meet you there in about five minutes. I have to fuel up my Plagg first, though."

Changeling furrowed her brow. "Your...what? Sorry, I didn't quite get that."

"My Plagg." She only blinked at him, so he explained further. "You know, the magic cat that powers my Miraculous. The one with a strange obsession for cheese. Especially Roquefort, though he eats Neufchatel as well."

"Oh, yeah. Right. Sorry, I just didn't hear you the first time."

"Do you have to fuel yours, too? You've been out for a while, I'm assuming."

Changeling smiled at him. "Uh...yeah. Yeah, I should get some cheese for my Plagg as well. So...I'll meet you at the patisserie in five?"

"In five," Chat grinned, gallantly bowing before his partner, before dashing off in the opposite direction.

…

Chat Noir landed in an alley a few blocks from where he had a rendezvous with "Ladybug." It was pretty obvious that it wasn't really Ladybug, and although there was no need to detransform, he wanted to talk to Plagg.

"Claws in," Chat whispered in the confines of the ally, a green, almost electrical glow powering from his orange sneakers up to his slightly tousled hair.

"So," Plagg began flying before coming to a halt in front of his chosen. "While I do enjoy the delicacy of many cheeses, you should know by now that I prefer Camembert to Roquefort or Neufchatel."

"Oh, come on, Plagg. You know I-"

The Kwami threw his disproportionately large head back and cackled, crossing his stub hands over his stomach. Adrien stared on in bewilderment for a minute or three until Plagg finished his fit.

"Sh-she-" The Kwami managed in between chuckles. "She bought the whole thing! Has Ladybug lost her memory or have you?"

"What do you mean?"

Plagg held up a stub. "That's for another time. Do you have any cheese? Camembert, preferably."

Adrien sighed, pulling a wedge of odorous cheese from the depths of his inside shirt pocket. "Yeah, yeah. What do you mean have _I_ lost my memory? I don't get it."

"Just...pay more attention next time you run into her," Plagg said vaguely. "You should be getting back now. It's been almost five minutes."

"Yeah, okay." Adrien crossed his arms, waiting for Plagg to swallow his last bite of Camembert. "Plagg, claws out!"

…

"You're making some bad decisions, Changeling," Hawk Moth chastised, placing two gloved fingers on the bridge of his nose.

Changeling was taken aback. "What do you mean? I think I'm playing along nicely."

Hawk Moth sighed. "Chat Noir is leading you on. The creatures are not called 'Plaggs,' they're called Kwamis, and not all of them eat cheese. Unless he used his Cataclysm, there's no need for him to detransform and fuel his Kwami. You must be more careful about these things in the future."

"Well, how am I supposed to know?" Changeling scoffed. "I'm not a superhero!"

"I'll send Mayura to create a distraction. Once you're in 'danger,' convince Chat Noir to hand over his Miraculous under the pretense that you can defeat her with the use of it."

Changeling remained skeptical, despite agreeing to the plan. "What if he doesn't give me his Miraculous?"

"That's why we have the real Ladybug." Changeling saw the butterfly mask fade out of view and put her hands on her hips, scanning the horizon for any trace of Chat.

"Hey!" he said suddenly, popping up behind her and causing her to let out a strangled screech of some sort. "Did you miss me?"

"You scared me!" Changeling responded, dutifully ignoring the question. Her partner wore a wide smile on his face, eyes shining with a hint of mischief. If he noticed her little slip-ups earlier, he certainly wasn't calling any attention to them. In fact...he seemed to be acting pretty natural, and Changeling wondered if he believed she was Ladybug or if he was just acting. Maybe...maybe she was just being too suspicious.

Chat's grin fell and his expression hardened, becoming serious. "So where did you want to start?"

This was Changeling's chance to explore Marinette's room, and hell would freeze over before she passed up that chance. She looked on in delight upon noticing the open trapdoor, left cracked so police officers and investigators could get in and out. It would be so easy to just sneak in and grab it without anyone being the wiser.

"Why don't we-"

"Hand over your Miraculous, Ladybug and Chat Noir!" A blue figure swooped gracefully overhead landing atop the roof of the patisserie.

Chat Noir looked up and furrowed his brow. "Mayura."

Mayura bowed her head slightly in acknowledgement, all facial features except her glowing pink eyes obscured by her feathered fan. "Glad to see you two remember me. Why don't you make this easy for all of us and give me your Miraculous? It'll save us the trouble of fighting, and save you the trouble of losing."

"Thanks for the suggestion, Mayura," Changeling began. "But there's really no need, because we won't be losing."

"What is she doing here?" Chat Noir whispered to his partner. "I don't see any Akumatized villains around. I don't get it."

Changeling pondered for a moment. "I'll leave and attack from the back. We can try to surround her."

"Okay. Good luck." Mayura began to monologue to Chat Noir, who was now standing alone on the balcony, the same villainous speech he'd heard a thousand times before. He watched weary-eyed, both from the monotonous discourse and the sheer exhaustion of being out at that hour of the night. The one thing that perturbed him, though, was why Mayura didn't bat an eye when Changeling left. Didn't she want her Miraculous?

...

Changeling, far away enough so she wouldn't arouse any suspicion, plotted her next moves. Today _was_ the day she would retrieve the Miraculous, no matter what it took. There was a small storefront a couple miles away that sold superhero/superheroine paraphernalia like many other stores, and that was where Changeling headed first. Of course it was closed for the night, but that mattered very little.

The butterfly mask once again came into view. "Do you know-"

"Yes, Hawk Moth. I know what to do, what happens if Chat Noir doesn't give it to me, etc. I'll be fine."

"I know you'll be _fine_, but be _careful_, too," The villain warned.

She sighed in response. "Yeah, whatever." Changeling wasn't the best at listening, but she got the job done ten times better than anyone else. Even Mayura hadn't gotten this close to getting the Miraculous. Sure, she momentarily had the Bee Miraculous, but it was stolen back.

Using a window as her entry point, Changeling swiftly broke the fragile glass with her yo-yo. If the police were curious, they could just chalk it up to breaking and entering. She was only stealing one thing. Searching the small shop, Changeling quickly found a red tape dispenser with black spots. So many places sold that type of merchandise, so it was passable for an authentic Lucky CharmTM.

Of course she could have used a real Lucky Charm, because she did have access to that power, but she didn't want to worry about having to detransform in front of Chat. All of her attention needed to be focused on getting the Miraculous. She didn't want to wait another minute to get it, and if she procrastinated, she didn't know how long it would be until she saw her partner again.

It was a really simple plan. Changeling would use the "Lucky Charm" to convince Chat Noir she had called on her power. Tell him she needed his Miraculous, he would give it up, then she would take Ladybug's and mission complete! Alternatively, if Chat Noir didn't give his up, she would use the real Ladybug as bait. Either way, she got revenge and Hawk Moth got his precious jewels. So it was a win-win situation.

Changeling wrapped her yo-yo around a street lamp, the bulb still absent in lieu of the Miraculous cure, although the sun was peeking over the horizon, so at least she could see clearly now. From afar she spotted Mayura, whose back was to her, and Chat Noir who acknowledged her distant presence with a subtle head nod. She smiled in return, hoping that seemed like a Ladybug sort of thing to do. She was so close to the finish line, and she wasn't about to give it up just yet.

She snuck up behind Mayura and gave her a bear hug, not holding on very firmly. Mayura easily slid out of her grip, reversing their positions.

"Chat Noir!" Changeling called, showing him the tape dispenser. "I used my Lucky Charm, but I need something to make it work."

"What is it?"

She cringed. "Perhaps we should discuss this privately." Worming her way out of Mayura's hold, Changeling leapt away and motioned for her partner to follow her.

In the safety of an alley away from Mayura any other intruders, Chat turned to his partner once again and inquired the same as before.

"What is it that you need?"

"Your Miraculous." Changeling spoke bluntly, hiding her impulse to reach out and snatch the ring from his finger.

Chat's eyes went wide and he covered his right hand with his left, providing a safeguard to protect the jewelry. "My Miraculous? That's...obscure, to say the least. M'lady, your Lucky Charm never needed anything like that before."

Changeling sighed in faux distress. "I know. It really sucks, but according to the Lucky Charm…" she held up the red and black tape dispenser so Chat could see it clearer. "...that's the only way to defeat Mayura. It's imperative that we get her Miraculous back immediately."

"I suppose it might give us a clue as to Hawk Moth's identity," Chat mused, loosening his firm grip on his right hand. "But it's still weird."

"Please." Changeling pleaded, making direct eye contact with her partner. "You have to trust me on this."

"You didn't want to reveal our identities, though."

"We can't help it this time, Chat Noir. I promise I'll return the favor after the battle is won."

Chat Noir scrunched up his face in thought, Plagg's words echoing back to him from earlier in a similar alley. _Has Ladybug lost her memory or have you? What do you mean? Just...pay more attention next time you run into her._ Plagg would never provide his chosen with a direct answer, and it wasn't just to be difficult. Okay, yeah, that was definitely part of it, but it was more of a learning experience. The Kwami must have noted something unusual about Ladybug that Chat hadn't yet, and gave him a hint so he could figure it out by himself.

_Pay more attention._ Raising his head again, Chat looked his partner directly in the face, taking in every detail and comparing it with the Ladybug he knew. Eyes, nose, earrings, freckles, pigtails. Everything seemed to be identical. But why did something seem off?

Back up. Her hair. The style was the same, but...the ribbon. Why was it purple? Purple, just like...an Akuma. Or an object affected by an Akuma. Chat's eyes grew wide again, realizing he was right. Plagg was right. They _both_ were right. Ladybug wasn't Ladybug. She was a villain.

"I know it's tough, Chat, but…" Changeling said, in the same voice Chat had heard a thousand times. "It's time to end this."

"You're right." Chat replied, a smile half-strained from knowing he wasn't speaking to his partner, but half out of pride knowing that he had figured something out. "It _is_ time to end this."

A devious smirk crept onto Changeling's lips. "I'm so happy you feel that way! I know it's tough, but I'm glad you made the right decision."

"Oh, I certainly did." Chat retorted, any trace of happiness leaving his face instantaneously. "Where the hell is Ladybug?"

Changeling clenched her jaw. "I...I have no idea what you're talking about, Chat. I'm right here!"

"You know exactly what I mean, _copycat_. Where is she?"

"I'm sure you're mistaken. I'm Ladybug. Don't you recognize me?" Changeling tried to smile again to ease the tension, but it turned out more like a grimace.

Chat's hands balled into fists. "Don't play this with me, wannabe. I'm not as dumb as I look."

Changeling scoffed at him. "Wannabe? More like don't-wanna-be." She crossed her arms, realizing exactly how dumb that sounded.

"You're literally just a knockoff Ladybug. It's so freaking obvious." Impulsive nature taking over, Chat Noir grabbed the ribbon from her hair and tore it in half, a purple and black butterfly fluttering away.

"Mhm. That was _not_ your best decision, you know." Changeling said as the dark magic encasing her disappeared, revealing an unimpressed Lila Rossi.

Chat gulped, the stupidity of his actions setting in. "Just...tell me where Ladybug is. Please."

"That's not exactly a fair trade."

"What do you mean?"

Lila sighed, regaining her trademark devious smirk. "I mean, you can't expect me to help you after what you just did. Besides, if you weren't so damn oblivious this whole time, you would have found Ladybug by now."

Chat pointed an accusatory finger at the girl in front of him. "You've got one hell of an attitude. How about you knock it off and tell me where Ladybug is?"

Lila hummed. "_Only_ Ladybug? Is that the only girl you're worried about?"

"You...you…" Chat spluttered. "You have Marinette, too? Where are they? Tell me where they are!"

"Give me a reason to tell you. Besides, I didn't say I had Marinette."

Chat furrowed his brow. "If you _don't_ have Marinette, then...where is she?"

Lila threw her hands up in the air. "How am I supposed to know? You don't have time to worry about that anyway. If _I_ were you - thank god I'm not - I would be more worried about that." She pointed up in the air at the Akuma that was now just a small spot on the horizon, looking for a place to multiply.

"Okay." Chat sighed in resignation, knowing he had limited options. "What do you want from me?"

"I guess your Miraculous isn't an option, huh?"

"Not in the slightest."

Lila contemplated it for a second, enjoying the increase in Chat's panic. "If I bring you to Ladybug, will you...hmmm…"

Chat was restless with anxiety as he watched the Akuma fly completely out of his sight. "Well? What do you want?"

Lila painted a sickeningly sweet smile on her lips. "We'll let bygones be bygones. I'll bring you to Ladybug, and...we don't tell her about this. Let the Akuma multiply, and see what happens from there."

"You want me to let the Akuma go free? Ladybug will _kill_ me!"

"I don't _have_ to take you to her…"

Chat groaned. "Okay, fine. The Akuma goes free. Now where is Ladybug?"

"A deal's a deal." Lila pulled a key out of her pocket and handed it to him. "The warehouse on Rue des Bernardins, room twenty-three."

Chat examined the key and Lila with a suspicious glare. "Thank you." he said curtly, removing his baton from the loop at the back of his costume. "You know what?"

"What?"

"You're a sick person. I hope your day is filled with people like you."

Lila smirked, crossing her arms. "Ditto. Have fun with that Akuma. You haven't seen the last of me yet, Chat Noir."

Chat sighed, extending his baton to propel himself onto the nearest rooftop. Before he took off, he looked down at Lila, still in the alley. "Do you need a lift?"

"No, that's alright. I can make it home from here."

"Okay. See you later."

"You sure will."

Shaking his head, Chat leapt across a number of rooftops before realizing that he had no idea how to get to Rue des Bernardins. He flipped open his baton and put the location in the map, discovering the location to be only a few blocks from the catacombs. It was a long way from where he was, but that wasn't going to stop him. Even if, in the distance, there was a cloud of dark colored butterflies infiltrating through the streets of Paris, making their way into any object they deemed appropriate. He was going to have one hell of a time explaining this to Ladybug.

…

Marinette, meanwhile, was growing steadily more irritated of her situation, especially since her phone battery died. Every unreachable itch and eyelash that threatened to fall in her eye (seriously, those things were annoying) was just another nail in the coffin, and definitely didn't help the situation much. The irritability was also partially due to a lack of sleep in the past few days, because not only was it uncomfortable, but she had no interest in sleeping at all, knowing what she was putting other people through with her disappearance in either form.

Tikki had stopped trying to lift her chosen's spirits, because hers weren't particularly high. She wanted to go get Master Fu, or Plagg, or even Adrien so they could come get her, but there was the feeling of impending doom that prohibited Tikki from leaving Marinette's side. She couldn't be left - literally - powerless if the duplicate came back, or if there was another villain, or..._something_. Tikki knew Marinette wouldn't mind, but she stayed nonetheless.

Marinette exhaled heavily. "Tikki, do you think I'll _ever_ get out of here? If I don't, I might never see anyone again. Not Alya, or Adrien, or my parents, or Chat, or anyone!"

"You know you will eventually, Marinette. It's really just a matter of time." Tikki smiled wearily at her chosen.

"I hope Chat Noir is okay." Marinette said, staring off into the distance. "And Emma. And Alya, and my parents, and...and...just everyone." she groaned, clearly done with the whole mess. "I mean, everything I put them through…"

Tikki sighed. "It wasn't your fault, you know. It was the other Ladybug. She was the one who kidnapped you and brought you here."

Marinette chewed nervously on her bottom lip, contemplating several different escape plans, but knowing none of them would be effective. She looked around the warehouse room again, scrutinizing every box, brick in the wall, every window. She had memorized every detail of the Jagged Stone poster, from the words written on it to the black, high-heeled, Gabriel brand boots he was wearing. Wait a minute. Shoes. _Gabriel_ brand shoes.

Her memory suddenly flashed back to a particular moment of the day Chat Noir came with her to school. _You okay?_ Chat had asked when she laughed. _Yeah, yeah, I'm fine._ She remembered how hard it was to keep her eyes closed when all she wanted to do was open them and see who her partner really was. Her head was tilted towards the ground so she couldn't see his face, but...the shoes. Orange, Gabriel brand sneakers. _Doesn't...Adrien wear those shoes? _

Marinette was startled back into reality by a frantic pounding on the door. Whoever it was had a reason to get in, and no door could keep them from doing that.

"Ladybug?" The voice was familiar. Panicked, but familiar all the same.

Her eyes went wide. "Ch-Chat?" she practically yelled.

The joy in his voice was audible. "Ladybug? For real?"

"Yeah!" she laughed, grateful to hear his voice.

Chat grunted out of effort. "I can't get the door open. Hold up. Cataclysm!"

"No!"

"What's wrong?"

Marinette sighed in relief. "Well, for one, I'm not transformed. Besides, you'll need it once you get in here."

"Oh. Okay."

Marinette looked at Tikki, who nodded. "Tikki, spots on!"

"Are you decent?" Chat asked.

"Uh-huh." she giggled.

"Alright." With a swift kick, the door came flying open, and Ladybug was graced with her partner's presence for the first time in days.

For a solid five seconds, neither of them said a word. But what words were there to say?

_Hey, long time no see. By the way, there's an Akuma running loose and probably multiplying somewhere downtown._

_Great! No need to worry about Marinette missing, 'cause that's me. Also, are you Adrien Agreste or just a fan of his?_

_Oh, you caught me. Yeah, I'm Adrien. It's cool that you're Marinette! Wanna get married now?_

_Yeah, totally. Screw age restriction laws, let's just elope!_

_Awesome sauce! How about tonight? I'll pick you up from your bedroom around eleven. _

_Sure. I'll leave a note so people don't think I'm missing and order a search party or something equally as ridiculous._

Instead, the follow-up conversation sounded more like this:

"Uh...it's great to see you, m'lady!" Chat said, unable to wipe the big, goofy grin from his face.

Ladybug giggled. "Yeah, you too!"

Chat's ring beeped its first warning. "We...I, uh...I-I'd better get you out of here, huh?"

Ladybug nodded in response, not sure what to say, as Chat used his Cataclysm on the chains binding her to the wall. For the first time in days, Ladybug could stand up, although she was a little shaky.

"Whoa!" she exclaimed, practically falling over, but landing in the safety of her partner's arms.

"Hey, it's fine. I won't let you fall." Chat soothed, gently taking hold of her upper arms to prop her back upright.

Ladybug couldn't help the blush that followed. "Y-yeah, I know. Um...thanks for, you know, saving my life and all."

Chat looked her in the eyes with a serious expression. "There's not many people I'd rather save."

Breaking the intensity of the moment, Ladybug steered the conversation elsewhere. "How did you figure it out?"

"The ribbon." He reached out to touch hers, both bright red, like her costume - and her cheeks. "One of them was purple instead of red. I'm surprised I didn't notice sooner."

"That's smart." Ladybug commended, grinning from ear to ear.

Chat's face fell. "Yeah. I have good news and bad news."

"I'm listening."

He sighed. "The bad news is that I accidentally-sort-of-maybe released the Akuma and it's probably multiplying and infecting people right now. I had to do it, or she wouldn't tell me where you were."

Ladybug blinked. "What's the good news, I'm afraid to ask?"

"Well, multiplied Akumas are weaker, so it shouldn't be too much trouble to defeat them."

The smile returned to Ladybug's face. "It's okay. We've done it before so we can do it again."

"So...you're not mad?" Chat asked hopefully.

"Nope. It's sweet, y'know. That you did it for me."

Chat grinned in response. "M'lady, I'd do anything for you." He held out a fist. "Partners?"

She bumped her fist against his, scoffing goodnaturedly. "Of course, partners. I can't think of a better one to have."

"Me neither." Chat said. "Really."

"Well then, partner, let's get to it. We've got some de-evilizing to do."

…

"Changeling failed, Gabriel. What are you going to do now?" Nathalie Sancœur asked her boss stoically as he exited his lair and sat down in his usual pristine white chair in his atelier. She brought him his usual order of coffee after a long day's work: espresso cold brew with almost enough sugar to put him in diabetic shock. She hated the taste, so whenever he extended an invitation to drink with him, she politely declined, no matter how captivating the offer (or the offerer).

"Ah, not quite yet, Nathalie." A faint smile teased the corners of his lips as he gazed at the portrait of his wife opposite him. An unfamiliar emotion tugged at Nathalie's heart. It was almost jealousy, but also admiration for a man who had as much passion for his work as Gabriel did.

"Not quite yet?" She was perplexed. Changeling _had_ failed, or Gabriel Agreste wouldn't be sitting in his chair drinking his coffee. "What do you mean, Gabriel?"

He turned towards his faithful assistant, an unsettling air of maniacal amusement surrounding him. "Chat Noir is...foolhardy, to say the least. He follows his heart, and not his head, much like me. My heart is the very reason behind this, Nathalie; I'm sure you're aware."

Nathalie raised an eyebrow, her professional demeanor back. "I am aware, _sir._ You would do anything for your wife. If I may ask, what exactly did Chat Noir do to earn 'foolhardy?'"

"He let his heart decide. Now, if you'll excuse me, I must return to my lair." Gabriel stood up with a trace of a smirk still readable all across his face, enjoying Nathalie's visible confusion.

"Sir?"

"Hm?"

Nathalie feebly attempted to make sense of the conversation. "It's just...you claimed Chat Noir is foolhardy for following his heart. Yet you're accusing yourself of the same."

"Ah, I never said I wasn't foolhardy, Nathalie. Why, I'm very much a fool." With that, Gabriel walked over to the portrait of Emilie Agreste - may she rest in peace, for the time being - and pressed a combination of buttons that sent him back to his lair.

Now, Gabriel Agreste may have been evil, but he appreciated a good lair when he saw one, and his was one of the finest he had ever been in, especially when the sun was rising or setting. Taking a minute to soak in the sheer beauty of the morning sky from out his gargantuan circular window, he smiled peacefully before turning to Nooroo.

"Isn't it a lovely day, my little Nooroo?"

The purple Kwami bowed his head sadly. "Yes, Master. It certainly is."

"I'm so glad you agree. But it wouldn't be a perfect day if we didn't wreak havoc on Paris." Gabriel grinned evilly at his Kwami. "Nooroo, dark wings rise!" One transformation later, and the small sounds of butterflies flitting innocently around filled the lair. "Why don't we check up on Lila Rossi? I imagine, in her constant state of negativity, that she's been Akumatized again."


	17. Chapter 17

**Author's Notes: Hi. Again. I didn't just disappear into the shadows, I promise. I'm really going to try to update more regularly so I can be done with this story pretty soon and move on to other things. Thank you again for all your undying love and support, and more specifically, your unconditional forgiveness and patience as I struggle through this disaster area. **

**Wow. What can I say? How about...new episodes and a leak of Mayura's transformation? I can't believe season 3 is already more than half over! It feels like just a month or two ago, I was watching the trailer of Chameleon and getting hyped for a new season to start, but we've already hit six months since Oblivio was released, and it has been quite a wild ride.**

**After the whole Changeling shebang, I didn't really know what to do, so I'm going to spice things up by adding more characters (real ones, not OCs) just for drama and angsty fluffy stuff. This didn't really go according to the original plan I had for the story, so now I'm just winging it. Woo-hoo. So that'll be fun, I guess (yay?), and there will be more villains, but I promise nothing like Changeling. Oh, also… SPOILERS! **

The fight was a swift one, the only difficulty being the large number of Ladybug duplicates swarming across Paris, but the superheroes were determined to end the whole ordeal once and for all.

"M'lady, we can beat her. We've done this all before."

Ladybug looked over at her partner, curious. 'What do you mean? We haven't beat her before."

Chat smiled. "Well, we've beaten Stoneheart, whose Akuma multiplied as well, we beat Copycat, who was a double, we beat the Sapotis, who were a bunch of creatures who looked exactly alike, and we beat Volpina, who was Lila and she dealt with illusions. This shouldn't be much trouble at all then, right?"

"I...suppose so, but do you think we'll need any help?"

"Why don't we find out?"

Ladybug quickly leapt up to where her partner was, summoning her special power. "Lucky Charm!" In return, she received a familiar object. "A painting! I know this one."

"Bringing in the recruits?"

Ladybug smiled. "Yup! No time like the present."

…

Marinette quickly detransformed close to Master Fu's building, where he ran a massage parlor and a tea shop. She held up her hand to knock on the door, but she was interrupted before she could.

"Come in Marinette. It's good to see you've made it back safely." The voice was Master Fu's, coming from somewhere behind the door.

Marinette opened the door and walked in as usual, glancing back at it to see if there was a camera or a mirror or something. "How...how do you _do_ that?"

Master Fu only smiled in return. "I'm assuming you need some help." He stood up and went over to his gramophone. Pressing some buttons on the base of the gramophone, the top part of it opened up to reveal a secret compartment, inside which was the Miracle Box. "Marinette Dupain-Cheng, choose an ally you can trust to fight alongside you on this mission. Choose wisely; such powers are meant to serve the greater good. Once this mission is complete, you must return the Miraculous to me. Do you have someone in mind, Marinette?"

Marinette nodded, picking up the Fox and the Bee Miraculous. "May I, Master?" She gestured to the bracelet he was wearing - the Turtle Miraculous.

"Of course." He slid the bracelet off of his wrist and held it out for Wayzz to inhabit it. "Are you sure you want to take the Bee again?" he asked skeptically.

"I think we'll need it. I'll bring them all back, as usual." she sighed, standing up and heading towards the door. "Thanks again."

"If you're sure. Just be careful."

"I will."

…

Ladybug headed back to where her partner was still surveying the scene from a distance. He turned around as she got close, his heightened hearing kicking in.

"Hey," he greeted, a half-smile on his face. Ladybug could tell something was bothering him. "Where are the others?"

She sighed. "Look. I know we said we wouldn't use Queen Bee anymore, but I think we might need her."

"Isn't that dangerous?" Chat asked nervously.

"Yes. But it's just this once. We won't use her after this."

He looked up at Ladybug with pleading eyes. "If you really think it's necessary." He held out his hand and she placed the Bee Miraculous on his palm. Suddenly, Chat's eyes gleamed mischievously. "You know, I guess you could call the Miraculous a...honeycomb."

If it wasn't for the fact that she hadn't seen him in days, Ladybug would have chastised him for not taking it seriously. However, although she wouldn't admit it, she _had_ missed him, and decided to laugh at his joke, giving him a secret ego boost.

Chat placed a gloved hand dramatically over his heart. "Oh, m'lady laughed at my pun! What more joy can this day bring?"

Ladybug walked over and swiftly flicked his bell. "Just go get Queen Bee, okay? I'll grab the other two and meet you back here, _minou._"

"You can count on me, Bugaboo!" With a two-fingered salute and a wink, he was off in the general direction of Le Grand Paris, Ladybug watching him until he was out of sight. Luckily for her, Alya was live-streaming the Akuma attack on the Ladyblog, so Ladybug was able to locate her fairly quickly. The only thing unusual was Alya. She barely said a word while recording the attack and didn't show her face at all, using only the rear camera to film. Her voice wasn't cheerful, either, wavering somewhere between anxiety-ridden fear and desolation.

Ladybug arrived at her location within minutes and flagged her down, signaling her to pause the video in progress. Alya obliged, sliding her phone into her pocket, because she obviously knew what was coming.

"Where's Nino?" Ladybug asked, figuring Alya of all people would know.

"Babysitting," she mumbled in response, crossing her arms.

Ladybug furrowed her brow. "Are...you alright, Alya?"

"_I'm_ okay, but I don't know about Marinette."

"Marinette?"

"Yeah. You know, dark hair, blue eyes, pigtails, kinda short."

Ladybug wanted to protest the short part, but she couldn't reveal her identity or make a very good argument for not being short, so she bit her tongue. "We've met a couple of times. What about her?" In the long run, she figured playing dumb was the way to go, since the _real_ Ladybug shouldn't have known about Marinette's disappearance.

Alya looked shocked. "What do you mean, 'what about her?' You've been looking for her for a couple days now! What the hell kind of superhero-"

"Alya." Ladybug lowered her voice. "That wasn't me the last couple of days. I was kidnapped by a villain - my double - and she posed as me. I saw Marinette recently, though. I can go get her after we defeat the villain."

"So she's okay?" Alya asked, voice full of hope. Ladybug smiled and nodded the affirmative. "Do...do you want me to call Nino?"

"Yeah, that'd be great." She waited patiently while Alya spoke to her boyfriend, telling him about Marinette and convincing him to find another babysitter for Chris, Ella, and Etta because he had superhero duties, and Paris was more important than little siblings.

By the time Alya hung up, her usual bubbly personality was back. She turned to Ladybug with a big grin. "He'll be here in a few minutes. Mylѐné - uh, a girl in our class - is going to babysit."

"Gotcha. I won't give you the whole speech; you know the deal." She opened up her yo-yo and pulled out the Fox Miraculous, holding it out to Alya.

Alya accepted it as usual and clasped it around her neck, her eyes following the glowing orange orb of light that materialized into a Kwami. "Trixx, let's pounce!" She donned a pair of fox-like ears, an orange and white costume with a similar-looking tail, and a flute at her back, useful both as a weapon and for triggering her power. Thus completed her transformation into the famous Parisian superheroine Rena Rouge.

"Chat Noir should be at Le Grand Paris getting Chloѐ right now if you want to head over. I'll grab Carapace and meet you guys," Ladybug explained, treating Alya - or rather, Rena - as if she had always been part of the team.

"Oka-wait, _Chloѐ_? But-" she began, protesting.

Ladybug sighed and cut her off. "I know. I just think we might need her, that's all. I promise we'll never use her again unless it's a dire emergency or something." Rena huffed. "I know you two aren't the best of friends, but at least tolerate her, okay? She can be really helpful at times."

"Yeah, I'm sure you're right. Well, I'll meet up with the other two." She leapt up to the top of a nearby building. "See ya!"

Ladybug smiled, heading the other direction to track down Carapace. "Later!"

…

Once Ladybug had found Nino and given him the Turtle Miraculous, the two of them found Chat Noir, Rena Rouge, and Queen Bee waiting at Trocadéro. In the few minutes between locating the Miraculous holders, Chat Noir had gone off to recharge his Kwami after using his Cataclysm, and a fight was already brewing between Rena and the Queen without a peacemaker. When Chat returned and found the two girls at each other's throats, he tried to break up the fight.

Ladybug landed not-so-subtly with Carapace at her side, and attention was turned towards her. "Come on, guys. We have a villain to defeat. There's no time for this." She snapped her yo-yo back to her and glared at the spectacle before her.

"She started it!" Rena and Queen Bee said simultaneously, pointing fingers at one another.

"Really? I thought you two were better than this. Rena, you know I asked you to tolerate her even if you two don't get along. As for you, Queen Bee, I was kind enough to let you use the Miraculous one more time. Don't ruin it, huh?"

Rena stared at the ground and kicked at a rock. "Sorry," she mumbled, turning away from Queen Bee.

"Well, I'm not," Chloè began. "It's her fault, in any case."

Ladybug fixed the Queen with a look of discontent before turning to Chat. "Let's keep in touch," she said to her partner, pressing the black dot in the middle of her yo-yo to reveal an earpiece. Nodding, Chat retrieved a similar device from the bottom of his staff, and the five of them set off to get back the Akuma and defeat Changeling.

…

Unbeknownst to the heroes, Changeling wasn't among the crowd of faux Ladybugs. While they were occupied trying to identify the real from the fake, she had taken that opportunity to...take care of some other business. She touched down silently on the balcony of one of her biggest enemies, knowing if Marinette had any dirt, it would be in her diary. The trapdoor, although closed, remained unlocked, and Changeling was able to sneak in without anyone being the wiser, closing it again once she was inside to avoid any later suspicion.

"What are you doing, Changeling?" Hawk Moth's voice came booming out of nowhere, and the butterfly mask lit up in front of her face.

Changeling sighed. "I told you I wanted the diary, Hawk Moth. I don't know if you weren't listening or something, but I'm sure I said that at some point."

"I said you could get it _after_ you bring _me_ what _I _want!"

"Well, that's too bad, isn't it?" Changeling retorted in a challenging tone, crossing her arms defiantly.

Hawk Moth placed his fingers on the bridge of his nose. "I could just take away your powers, you know. You're skating on thin ice."

"You're not going to take away my powers. I've gotten farther than anyone else. How do you know this isn't just part of my plan?"

"Fine. You get one more chance. There aren't any do-overs this time."

Waving him off, Changeling happened upon the diary. "Yeah, yeah. Just give me a sec." The glowing mask faded, and she got back to work.

Finding the diary was an easy task; getting it, however, was not. The small semicircle box was propped open on Marinette's desk, and inside lay a matching diary. Changeling's original plan remained: take pictures of every page in the diary, but leave the actual book there so no one could accuse her of stealing. It was a great plan, except... when she lifted the diary from its box, it clamped down on her wrist. No matter how much she struggled, she couldn't pry it open, and therefore there was no way of accessing its contents.

"Okay, Dupain-Cheng," she muttered under her breath. "I have to give you credit for this one. But I'd rather be called a thief than call you a friend."

…

"Oh...wow. I forgot there were this many," Chat remarked as the team stood above the Place des Vosges overlooking a vast sea of Ladybugs, each an exact double of the last. From where they were, it was impossible to spot the fake one.

"This is...oddly unsettling." Ladybug cringed, peering into the large crowd of people that looked like her. "What do you guys think is the best plan?" She turned to the other four behind her.

Carapace and Rena Rouge were arguing once again about who would protect who, and Queen Bee sighed, rolling her eyes. "I don't know, you're the boss."

Ladybug furrowed her brow. "I really don't have any ideas. We can't just take them out one by one. There's way too many of them for that."  
"Lucky Charm?" Chat suggested.

"So soon?"

Chat shrugged in response. "I don't see any obvious way out of this. Do you?"

"I suppose you're right. Lucky Charm!" She hurled her yo-yo skyward, producing a small rectangular box with an all-too-familiar logo on the top. Opening it, she revealed a couple dozen strawberry macarons decorated with white polka dots.

Queen Bee peeked over Ladybug's shoulder. "Macarons? How do you plan to defeat a villain with cookies?"

"Wait a minute." Ladybug inspected the logo. "That's my fami-uh, my _favorite_ patisserie! They make great pastries!"

Oblivious to her mistake, Chat looked at his partner incredulously. "The Dupain-Chengs? That's _my_ favorite patisserie too! Just look at how much we have in common, Bugaboo!"

Queen Bee groaned. "Ugh. The Dupain-Chengs? Lame."

At this, Rena tore her attention off of Carapace for a few seconds. "It isn't lame, Chloè! Don't you dare say that! I swear, if-"

"Come on, Rena. Please?" Ladybug pleaded. "We have to figure this out." Looking around, her Lucky Vision seemed to not be working. "Maybe we need to go to a different place?"

"How about-" Chat narrowed his eyes. "Wait a minute. I just saw something inside. Let's go!"

Indeed, as the team got closer they saw a shadow in Marinette's room through the small side window, though they couldn't make out who or what it was from a distance.

"Rena Rouge, Carapace, and Queen Bee, you stay on surveillance out here. Chat Noir and I will investigate whatever's inside." Ladybug ordered in a hushed tone. Carapace nodded and retreated to the rooftop above the crowd of Ladybugs, the other two trailing behind him.

Chat deftly retracted his baton and spun it with his fingers before returning it to the loop at the small of his back. "You know, if you wanted to be alone with me, all you had to do was ask."

Ladybug snorted. "Oh, you wish. We're the most experienced superheroes, so I put them on an easier duty." The pair landed quietly on the familiar balcony and Chat peeked inside. "I have no idea what we're up against here."

"Um...you."

"Huh?" Upon seeing Ladybug's confusion, Chat gestured for her to look inside as well. Just as he had said, a Ladybug duplicate flailed around frantically in a feeble attempt to escape the clutches of the carefully engineered diary box.

Chat leaned in closer to Ladybug. "What's going on in there?"

"That's my dia-" Quickly clamping her hand over her mouth, Ladybug tried to direct the conversation elsewhere. "So, um...out of curiosity, who _is_ Changeling?"

Raising an eyebrow, Chat smirked. "Why does that matter, m'lady?"

"I don't know. I mean, I'm sure it's not important, but maybe it is."

"It's Lila Rossi. Again. Apparently she hasn't had enough."

Ladybug squinted at the person in her room, getting closer for a better look. "That might explain it."

"Explain what?"

"Well, a little bird told me that Lila and Marinette aren't exactly what you would call best friends. The other duplicates wouldn't have any reason to be in Marinette's room now, would they?"

Chat's eyes brightened as he solved the mystery. "So…"

"So?"

"This must be the real Changeling!"

Ladybug smiled excitedly. "Exactly! Ready, kitty?"

"I'm always ready for you, m'lady." With one gloved hand on the trapdoor and the other poised in place to grab his baton, Chat Noir glanced at his partner, admiring the twinkle of fierce determination in her bright blues. He asked a question with his eyes and she responded in kind, giving him the green light to open the trapdoor. The two burst into the room in complete synchrony, just as every time before, and Chat couldn't help but wonder how they worked so well together.

Pushing all feelings aside just like he always did, the black cat adopted a fighting stance and smirked at the villian in front of him. "Hey copycat, ready for round two?" Before Changeling could say a word, Ladybug snickered next to him.

"Oh my god," she said, covering the smile on her lips and pointing at the villain. "I'm sorry, I guess you can't fight very well with that thing on your hand."

Changeling scowled. "Well, you're wrong, blaireau. I took you down easily the first time because your little kitten was too busy to save you, and I can take you down again with one hand tied behind my back."

"I guess we'll find out." Ladybug whipped out her yo-yo. "Oh, by the way, you don't get to say those things about my partner, okay?"

"What do you mean? He's only around for comic relief. It's not like he helps you out at all. In fact, he mostly just messes things up."

Chat smiled, though on the inside he wondered what he was doing wrong. "Yeah, I'm not even going to fight that one."

"No."

Chat Noir glanced nervously at Ladybug, white-knuckled from the vice grip she had on her yo-yo. "But-"

She cut her partner off, fire blazing in her eyes. "Don't." Then, turning to Changeling, "And _you_ can't talk about Chat Noir like that. He's the best partner anyone could ask for, and he's the one that defeated you the first time, so you really have no room to talk."

Changeling scoffed. "Well, I also wouldn't be Akumatized right now if it wasn't for his idiotic decision to release the Akuma. And it took him three days to find you? You'd still be locked up if I hadn't told him where you were."

"He did his best, okay? He's the one that saved me in the first place, and it's not the first time, either. Everyone gives Chat a bad rap because he takes a lot of hits, but it's not because he's a bad superhero. If anything…" Ladybug's tone softened. "...if anything, _I'm_ the bad one."

Chat gaped at his partner incredulously. "What do you mean? You're not bad at all. How could you say that?"

"You wouldn't have to take so many hits if I paid better attention. You're always saving me, and...and you shouldn't have to! _I_ should be the one getting hit most of the time the way we do things."

"But you're the only one who can capture the Akuma and purify it! Paris would be doomed if you fell under an Akuma's spell. I'm expendable."

"No, you're not!" Angry tears were welling in Ladybug's eyes. "You-you're _not_ expendable! Not to me, anyway."

Yawning, Changeling looked at her free hand as if inspecting it for dirt. "If you're finished…" All of a sudden, she pulled out her yo-yo and swung herself to the loft bed, opening the trapdoor and escaping. Ladybug and Chat Noir looked at each other in shock for a second, letting the situation sink in. With newfound determination, they exited through the trapdoor as well.

…

"Ugh. This is ridiculous! What are we even doing here?" Queen Bee slumped down into a sitting position.

Rena glared at the sedentary superheroine. "We're watching the other Ladybugs because the _real_ Ladybug told us to. Can't you follow orders instead of barking them at other people for once, Chloè?"

"Queen Bee." she reminded Rena, standing up. "And listen, Fox. I can do whatever the hell I want, okay?"

"There you go, ordering me around again. Guess you can dish it out, but you can't take it."

Carapace sighed and shook his head. "Can't you two _please_ just try to get along for once?" Noticing both of the girls staring daggers at him, he threw his hands up defensively. "Hey, you dudes both have good points. Queen Bee, you're right. This _is_ boring, and maybe we should go help the others." Rena glowered at her boyfriend. "But, on the other hand, Ladybug _did_ tell us to stay here on surveillance, and we should probably listen to her."

"Whatever." Queen Bee crossed her arms. "I still think we should-"

"Whoa!" A streak of red flashed overhead before settling in with the other Ladybugs in the crowd, followed closely by real Ladybug and Chat Noir who joined the other three on the roof.

Carapace pivoted and stared at the superheroes. "What happened, dudes?"

Ladybug shook her head. "No time for the full story. The original Changeling has a pink box on her left wrist."

"A pink box?" Rena questioned, wrinkling her nose.

Ladybug sighed and held up a gloved hand. "Like I said before, it's a long story. If we can find the one with the box, we can capture her Akuma. I have a plan."

"We're all listening, m'lady," Chat Noir encouraged with a sly wink. The other three nodded the affirmative, so Ladybug took a deep breath and began.

"Okay, so here's the thing…"

…

"...then you use your power to immobilize her, Queen Bee. Once you do that, signal that it's safe for us to come capture the Akuma. Everyone got it?"

A collective nod from the group was enough confirmation for Ladybug go ahead with the plan. She jumped down into the crowd of exact physical replicas of herself, trying to blend into the commotion.

A voice came through her earpiece. "Are you ready?"

"Hopefully this works," she whispered, her hand over her ear.

"Don't worry, Bugaboo. It'll be fine."

Ladybug smiled to herself. "Yeah. You're right." She mixed herself in with the other Ladybugs, keeping an eye out for one who might have her diary box clamped around their left wrist but coming up empty. All of a sudden, her faithful feline partner jumped in.

"Which one of you is Ladybug?" he called from the rooftop. The entire crowd chorused "I am! No, _I_ am! Don't listen to her, _I'm_ the real Ladybug," etc., etc., and Ladybug joined in to avoid suspicion.

In a voice louder than necessary, Queen Bee continued the charade. "How will we ever find out which one is the real Ladybug?" she lamented dramatically.

"I know!" Rena Rouge said to the others before turning to the crowd below. "If you're Ladybug, call on your Lucky Charm!"

"Great idea, dude!" Carapace high-fived his girlfriend. "Then we'll know for sure who the OG LB is."

Ladybug gazed up at the rest of the team and gave them a slight nod. "Lucky Charm!" she shouted, throwing her yo-yo up in the air with her left arm, causing the rest of the congregation to do the same. One glance at the others whispering amongst themselves triumphantly was enough for Ladybug to know that they had determined which one Changeling was. She looked down at her hands and contemplated the red and black spotted fire hose she now had, her Lucky Vision highlighting all of the other Lucky Charms held by various members of the red and black pack, everything from traffic cones to kitchen utensils.

"You there, LB?" Chat's voice came through the earpiece again. "I can direct you to Changeling if you want."

"Go ahead." With his instructions, Ladybug was able to make out a certain duplicate, spying a flash of pink as she turned around. "I see her."

Chat hummed for a second, thinking. "Okay. Make your way towards the roof for a handoff."

"Got it." Her earrings beeped their first warning. "We have to end this promptly, kitty cat. I don't have much time."

"Duly noted." Ladybug meandered through the crowd inconspicuously (she hoped) until she was in a place where Chat could drop a tracking device into her waiting hands. All the time, she kept her eye on Changeling from across the square, milling around once more until the villain was right beside her. "On the count of three, m'lady," Chat warned. "One...two...three!"

Carapace pointed a finger into the mass of people. "I see you, Changeling! Come out or we're coming in to get you!"

After a few seconds and no response, Queen Bee joined in. "We're not joking. Hiding out is so lame. I guess I'll have to get you myself. Spinning Top!" She hurled her stinger-shaped weapon into the horde, more or less aiming for Changeling. Amidst the commotion, Ladybug stuck the tracking device onto the diary box as Changeling wrapped her yo-yo around a nearby tree branch and perched at the top.

"You're not going to get me. Go ahead and try!" she threatened, revealing her Lucky Charm, a smoke bomb. Tossing it somewhere in the middle of all the people, she escaped, leaving a cloud of smoke behind her. Ladybug looked around, her Lucky Vision highlighting someone else's Lucky Charm: a pair of scissors. Glancing towards the rooftop, it highlighted the other four heroes, and when her eyes drifted back down to her hands, the fire hose also lit up. She snagged a street lamp with her yo-yo and swung through the crowd, claiming the hose and the scissors on her way through.

Still coughing from the smoke, Ladybug retreated to the roof with a smile. "All good, _chaton_?" she asked. Chat smirked, opening the screen of his baton and displaying a map. A paw print blinked a couple blocks away from their location. Ladybug grinned wider and flicked her partner's bell. "Good work, kitty!"

"Okay, so...should we go after her?" Queen Bee asked, still holding her weapon and mode of transportation, the string wrapped around her finger.

"No. I want to get the others out of the way first. That way it'll be five against one and we can defeat her fast." Ladybug held up the fire hose. It was long, but… "This won't be enough to contain all of them. Queen Bee, you follow my lead. Chat, take this and do the same." She tossed the hose to her partner. Grabbing the scissors, she continued. "Rena Rouge, you take these, and Carapace, follow her. Come on. There's no time to lose." Without another word, Ladybug jumped down to the ground, motioning for the others who mirrored her movements.

Using her yo-yo, the superheroine restricted close to a third of the crowd, wrapping them up in a tight bundle. Queen Bee did the same, employing her Spinning Top to tie up another portion of the imposters. The rest of the group was small enough that Chat Noir was able to tether them with the fire hose. While the three of them kept the duplicates under control, Carapace went around removing the tainted ribbons and giving them to Rena, who cut them in half. Within twenty minutes, several hundred civilians were transformed back to normal, and Ladybug's Kwami was fueled up again.

"Okay," Queen Bee began in an impatient tone, crossing her arms indignantly. "What now?"

Ladybug marched over to her original partner and placed a hand on his shoulder, giving him a knowing smile. "Well, thanks to Chat's tracking device, we know where Changeling is. All we have to do is track her down."

"And capture her Akuma," Rena finished, taking pride in the fact that she knew so much about defeating supervillains.

Ladybug nodded, emphasizing

each syllable. "Precisely."

"What about Marinette?" Chat asked tentatively, studying the ground as if he was almost afraid of the question. Or maybe it was the answer that scared him. "If Changeling took her, will your Miraculous Cure bring her back?"

The superheroine tensed, glancing around to find worried looks settled on Rena Rouge and Carapace as well. Her eyes widened as she fumbled to come up with a plausible response. "W-well, if Changeling _was_ responsible, then I suppose the Cure would return her to...wherever she was before." This answer seemed to satisfy everyone, or at least convince them enough so they would stop focusing on finding her alter ego for the time being.

"_Anyway_," Queen Bee cut in, conveniently changing the subject back to the topic at hand. "We should focus on capturing Changeling's Akuma instead of...less important matters." Rena shot a dirty look in her general direction and opened her mouth to fire off a comeback of sorts, but Carapace cut in before the girls started arguing again.

"That's probably a good idea, don't you think?" he blurted, voice too high-pitched and filled with too much enthusiasm. "We can worry about Marinette another time." Rena turned her head to glare at her masked boyfriend with a rage that made her look no less menacing than Hawk Moth himself. "Ah! I mean, of course I'm worried about Marinette, but Changeling is more important."

"More important than my. best. friend?" Rena asked, stressing the fact that although she and Marinette were at a low point in their relationship, she still considered the two of them best friends.

Carapace smiled anxiously, attempting to rectify the situation. "Right now, I mean! Because Ladybug will fix everything and bring her back, so there's no reason to be so high-strung about it."

"High-strung?!"

Ladybug clapped her hands together. "Carapace is right; we should focus on capturing Changeling's Akuma. Chat Noir, where is she right now?"

Chat Noir grabbed his baton and flipped it open, revealing a map with a pawprint moving down Rue de Rivoli. "Looks like she's heading to the Louvre. We can set up a trap there."

"We need to get there before her. But how?" Ladybug wondered aloud, her thumb and first finger poised on her chin, the other hand resting on her hip.

Chat winked at his partner. "I _may_ know a shortcut."

…

Changeling traveled by rooftop the whole way to the Louvre, planning out a route that limited the number of swings she had to do with her yo-yo, because that wasn't exactly a simple task with one hand trapped inside a fickle box. A handful of pedestrians noticed her and whipped out their cells, eager for a piece of footage to prove that they were close to Paris' superheroine. Keeping a smile on her face and her left hand close to her body, she was able to get to the museum in a matter of minutes, but it wasn't fast enough.

She was able to get inside without hesitation, past all the security who stood guard, blissfully unaware of the danger. In a similar manner, Changeling herself stood triumphantly inside the Louvre's main entrance, oblivious to the fact that a team of superheroes was waiting just a few feet away, planning her downfall.

Retreating her head from around the corner, Ladybug faced the other Miraculous holders. "She's gone inside. We need a strategy, but it has to be clever. Obviously _I_ can't get inside because it'll arouse too much suspicion, so…" She furrowed her brow in pensive thought, fingers pressed to her temples as though she were willing an answer to make itself obvious.

"You could use your Lucky Charm," Chat offered. "If we can come up with a plan based on that - quickly, of course - it would be easier."

Ladybug looked at him hesitantly, clutching her yo-yo tight. "I wouldn't have much time afterwards, though." Looking around at the expectant faces of her friends, she relented. "You're right. If we want a good shot at defeating Changeling, that's the best way to go."

Chat flashed a reassuring, toothy grin at his counterpart. "Whenever you're ready, m'lady." A hum of agreement arose from the other three, watching and waiting patiently for the heroine to make her move.

"Lucky Charm!" Ladybug summoned, throwing her yo-yo skyward and receiving a jump rope in return.

"A jump rope?" Queen Bee asked incredulously, eyeing the red and black spotted rope that lay in her idol's gloved hands. "What are you going to do with that?"

Ignoring the question, Ladybug looked around, surveying the area as her Lucky Vision highlighted several seemingly unhelpful objects. _A fountain, the security guard, a tree branch, the heroes, the jump rope. _Alone they were useless, but they were each part of the solution. An idea formed in her head, a convoluted one, but luck was on her side, and so were some of her best friends.

With ease, her nerves slipped away and the confidence returned. "Okay. Pay attention, because I don't have time to explain this more than once."

…

The five heroes were inside the Louvre Museum, and not a moment too soon, as Ladybug had just three minutes before her transformation wore off. With the use of her Lucky Charm, distracting the security guard enough to sneak the real Ladybug in was a bit of a task, but thankfully tracking the fake wasn't. Civilians were flabbergasted at the sight of five superheroes standing in their midst, turning their otherwise normal day into quite the spectacle. Pictures were snapped and videos recorded as the Parisians were ushered out of the building quietly, the real Ladybug continuing to draw confused glances from people who had already crossed paths with her double.

"This way," Chat Noir confirmed in a whisper, slinking through a narrow corridor between exhibits with all the agility of a cat. He poked his head around the corner and quickly withdrew it, holding a finger to his lips and pointing to signify that Changeling was close by.

Ladybug opened her mouth to say something, but she was cut off by a shrill beep sounding right in her ear. "Two minutes. Let's go."

Changeling was caught up in conversation with a nosy civilian who was hellbent on getting a selfie with "the most amazing superhero _ever_!", but with a strained smile, she politely declined for what was probably about the eighth time. According to plan, Chat Noir took this as his cue and stealthily approached the two from the right side.

"Hey, sorry to bother you," he said to the civilian, slipping an arm around Changeling's shoulders. He conveniently ignored Changeling turning her body towards him and wrapping her left arm behind her body to conceal the box. "I need to borrow this little lady here. There's a villain on the loose right now."

…

Ladybug waited until she got the thumbs up from Chat Noir before turning back to the other three. "Okay. Do you all know the plan?" Three heads nodded back in agreement. "Great. I knew I could count on you guys!"

Rena took her flute from its resting place and played a few notes. "Mirage!" she yelled, casting her illusion on Ladybug so she looked like a regular tourist. Smiling at her handiwork, she motioned for Queen Bee to activate her power as well.

"Venom!" the Queen called out, her hand surrounded by the pulsing energy of the Bee Miraculous. "Ready when you are, Ladybug." Ladybug slipped out into the small crowd of people, keeping a close eye on Changeling.

…

Changeling grimaced, grateful for the excuse to not pose for a picture but less excited about the prospect of trying to hunt down herself. "Chat Noir's right. We really do have to get going. Chat, I think I saw her going towards the Egyptian exhibit."

"Great." He flashed her a Cheshire cat grin. "I'll go get the others." Knowing there was only a minute to make everything work, Chat Noir quickly gave the go-ahead to Ladybug, who threw out her yo-yo, wrapping Changeling tightly in its indestructible cord. The villain shrieked, still disguised as her arch-nemesis, and struggled, but to no avail. Charging forward, Queen Bee outstretched her right hand in an attempt to paralyze Changeling, but the latter ducked to the side and Queen Bee tripped, heading straight towards a frozen civilian.

"Shelter!" Carapace called frantically, directing his power to protect the citizen in the nick of time, as Queen Bee turned back around and struggled with Changeling, finally landing the attack on her. There was a sudden silence that lasted for a few seconds, cut short by the second to last warning chiming from Ladybug's earrings. She withdrew the red and black yo-yo from her double, now frozen in time, and snapped it back to her hand, hearing Chat Noir shout "Cataclysm!" and touch his finger to the purple ribbon, turning it to ash.

Ladybug stared at the girl who had been wreaking havoc across Paris for days, wearing the same costume and features as her, but there was something cold and unfeeling in the girl's gaze, almost ruthless, that sent an involuntary shiver down her spine. She stared at the black butterfly that emerged from the destroyed ribbon and purified it, watching it flit away innocently through the museum.

"Miraculous Ladybug!" she yelled, throwing the spotted rope into the air. She stared as it burst into swarms of ladybugs in a soft pink glow, cleansing all the physical damage Changeling had caused. She stared at the girl who was left behind. No costume, no Akuma, but instead the girl wore a stunned expression that hardened when her eyes fell on her adversary. And for a second, Ladybug found herself wishing she could remove the evil from a person as simply as she could with a butterfly.

The frantic beeping in her ear silenced any thoughts other than those of getting the Miraculouses back to Master Fu, wherever he may be at that point in time. She held out a fist and smiled, though it didn't reach her eyes as the other four members of her team bumped their fists with hers. "Bien joué!"

"Can you take care of things here? I need to get the Miraculouses back to Master Fu but I'm going to detransform in a minute." Ladybug asked her partner, holding a hand to her ear.

"Of course, m'lady. You know you can count on me." Chat Noir grinned, bowing gallantly and planting a gentle kiss on her hand to which she rolled her eyes, as per usual, but there was a soft smile tugging at her lips.

Queen Bee took the cue, noting that she only had a few minutes before she detransformed as well. "Pollen, buzz off." Removing the comb from her hair, Chloé placed it in Ladybug's waiting hand. "I...wanted to thank you."

"Thank me?" Ladybug quirked her head slightly in confusion. "What for?"

Chloé shifted uncomfortably and pulled on a piece of hair that had fallen loose from her usual pristine ponytail, avoiding eye contact. "For letting me use the Miraculous again. I know I was upset when you said I was done being Queen Bee, but I totally understand, you know. So thank you." she smiled nervously. "For trusting me."

Ladybug gave her still-outstretched hand a squeeze, surprised by the sudden display of kindness, but pleasantly so. "Thank you for being trustworthy. And you never know," she said, turning to leave. "Maybe we'll do this again sometime." Flanked by Rena Rouge and Carapace, Ladybug darted outside and into an alley, retrieving the other two Miraculouses and bidding her friends goodbye just in time to feel the pink glow of light wash over her.

"That was a close call!" Tikki squealed, landing in her chosen's cupped hands and yawning. "But now, we need to go find Master Fu so you can get back home."

"That's right, Tikki!" Marinette smiled wistfully. "We're going home."

…

After tracking down Master Fu for the better part of half an hour (finally locating him at the same movie theater, though this time he was cleaning instead of working the ticket desk), Marinette made her way back to the patisserie, where her parents dropped everything (including a tray of baguettes, but luckily not the baby) to fawn over her. They closed the shop earlier than usual to pay close attention to their one and only child, treating her as if she were made of glass.

Visitors streamed in for hours: Officer Roger and Sabrina, Jagged Stone, some other classmates and old friends brought gifts or called to check in on her, even Lila stopped by, but it wasn't to exchange pleasantries. One look at the Italian girl's hand confirmed what Marinette already knew: the box containing her diary was still firmly attached to her hand, something they both knew would be inexplicable to their parents. Rather than tease her about it or expose the fact that her diary was almost stolen, Marinette sneaked Lila up to her room and unlocked the box, earning a mumbled apology and a barely audible "Thanks" thrown in her direction.

Nino paid a visit as well, dropping off a thick stack of missed assignments and explaining that Adrien couldn't make it with his busy schedule, but he couldn't wait to see her tomorrow in school, and Alya wasn't sure she was ready yet. Marinette didn't blame either of them for not coming and persuaded Nino to stay for dinner (with the help of her parents, of course).

Hours later, when calls and people had ceased for the time being and the sky had blackened, illuminated only by a partial moon and a small smattering of stars, Chat Noir finally got up some semblance of courage and landed on Marinette's balcony before he could stop himself. He wanted to go inside and say..._something_. What he had to say was beyond him, but he would think of something.

_It's nice to see you._ It was true, but it wasn't enough. It was more than just nice to see her, but no combination in twenty-six letters could explain that well enough.

_I'm glad you're back._ Better, if perhaps a little impersonal. He was a superhero and she was a civilian. Those were the facts. There was the baby, sure, and he was more than happy to help her with it while he figured out that situation, but he still couldn't consider her much more than an acquaintance.

_I was worried about you._ That was a possibility. It didn't necessarily imply anything besides general concern for a citizen of Paris that he knew, but 'general concern' just wasn't enough to cover it.

_I missed you._ That, on the other hand, implied all sorts of things that he wasn't sure she needed to know yet. Three words full of expectations and promises that could give someone all the wrong ideas. Maybe that _was_ the idea.

He knocked on the open trap door letting in the gentle breeze of night air, still at a loss for words as Marinette glanced up from the book she was reading on her chaise and beckoned him inside with a tender look, teetering somewhere between joy and something else unidentifiable to him. He dropped down to the floor effortlessly and she stood up from her position, still leaving a few feet of space between the two of them. For a few seconds they just stared, his emerald eyes never breaking away from her own azure ones, neither one knowing what to say to the other.

"Chat," Marinette whispered, taking a timid step forward and fidgeting with her hands. With a few long strides, Chat was suddenly much closer to her, the proximity painting a lovely pink blush on the girl's cheeks.

"I…" he began, reaching out hesitantly, his gloved hands brushing against her bare ones. "...are you alright?"

The corners of her mouth twitched into a shy smile as she hung her head, still avoiding his eyes. "Nothing broken." Slowly, she looked up and met her partner's gaze, and Chat felt his breath hitch at the way her baby blue eyes sparkled, backlit by the reading lamp next to her chaise. He released his grip on her hands in order to wrap them tight around her torso, pulling her into a firm hug. Marinette tensed for a split second before softening and perching up on her toes to snake her arms around his neck.

"I missed you," Chat mumbled, voice muffled by Marinette's shoulder, but he knew the point got across because she hugged him a bit closer, if that was possible. "_God,_ I missed you." A few seconds later (hours, maybe?), she pulled back slowly from the embrace, and Chat found himself already missing the warmth she brought him in every sense of the word. He looked at her adoringly, hand cupping her cheek so the tip of his thumb brushed her bottom lip. He leaned in, eyes fluttering closed, and although her eyes blew wide open at first, Marinette quickly followed suit, her lips the last thing he saw before-

"Marinette! You have company!" Sabine's voice was unmistakable as she yelled up the stairs, the call reaching her ears through the closed trapdoor. Marinette looked around, frantically smoothing her clothes and hair as Chat darted back up to his spot on the balcony. _What was he thinking anyway, trying to kiss her like that? He had no right._

"Okay, Maman!" She responded, heading to open the door just as a familiar mop of brownish-red hair poked through. Marinette stopped dead in her tracks, curious as to why she was getting another visitor so late at night, especially that particular one. "Alya?"

The hazel-eyed girl looked at her once-best friend apologetically, tears welling in her eyes. "I'm...ugh." she paused, pushing her glasses up and swiping a hand across. "I just wanted to say I'm sorry. I know that's not enough, and don't say it is, because it _can't_ be. So...I'm sorry for not trusting you when I should have, because you're usually right, and I'm really, _really_ sorry for telling Lila anything you told me in private, because that was really terrible of me. I'm sorry I wasn't there when you needed me, because I should have been, and...oh, to hell with this.

I've been an extremely crappy best friend to you for way too many months now, and I know no amount of apologizing can just gloss over all the awful things that have been going on not only with Lila, but also between us. I know we'll probably never be best friends again, at least not like we were before, and that really breaks my heart, but I can't exactly go back in time and slap my past self upside the head, as much as I totally would if that were possible. But I'm...I'm really happy you're back. It's been pretty miserable these last couple days. I was worried I would never get the chance to apologize…" Alya trailed off, rubbing her eyes in one last futile attempt to prevent the onslaught of emotions that was about to boil over.

"Maybe we can start over?" Marinette held out her hand to Alya, the latter's expression growing visibly confused. "I'm Marinette Dupain-Cheng."

Alya choked, unsure if she was about to laugh or cry. "Alya Césaire. Mind if I sit here and cry for a bit?" she asked, shaking her friend's hand.

"Make yourself at home."

…

A couple hours later, after most of the lights across Paris had gone out, as it was well after midnight, Alya descended the stairs she came up long before. She had politely declined the Dupain-Chengs' offer to sleep over, because they had school the next morning, and her homework wasn't finished. Marinette couldn't say she was surprised, because it wasn't like she had done much catching up either, but her teachers couldn't really blame her for being kidnapped by a supervillain. For once she had a plausible excuse to not turn in her homework the next day.

Sabine had insisted on babysitting Emma one more day to take some of the load off of her daughter's shoulders, and Tikki had been asleep for hours, worn out from 'macaron deprivation', although she had her fill. There was no reason to stay up, so Marinette crawled up to her loft bed with a yawn, grabbing her phone from its place on the charger and setting the usual alarm that would wake her bright and early in the morning. Sparing one more glance at the open trapdoor to her balcony, she could faintly make out a tail swishing in the breeze, and sighed wistfully.

"Come in, _chaton_."


End file.
